Mogadishu — Somalia's national disaster agency has warned that a deepening drought across the country could escalate sharply after expected seasonal rains failed to materialise, forcing families to flee hard-hit rural areas in search of water and food.

Large swathes of the country are experiencing severe water shortages, with pastoralist communities among the worst affected as their livestock -- their primary source of livelihood -- face mass depletion.

Mahmoud Maalim Abdulle, head of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), told a meeting in Mogadishu that the current conditions evoke memories of the devastating 2017 drought, which claimed more than 40,000 lives.

He identified Galmudug state as one of the regions suffering the most acute impact, warning that entire communities were at risk unless urgent assistance is mobilised.

SoDMA, which leads the government's disaster-response efforts, has issued repeated alerts in recent months about the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The agency has appealed to international partners and Somali diaspora communities to ramp up emergency aid as millions confront worsening shortages of food and water.