Somalia Malnutrition Crisis Deepens as Western Funding Collapses

Funding to combat acute malnutrition in Somalia has plummeted by more than 80% this year, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The organization reports that the United States completely eliminated its support to aid agencies, dropping from $70 million last year to zero, while the United Kingdom reduced its funding by nearly half. Total donor funding now stands at approximately $300 million, a sharp decline from the $2.2 billion provided during a similar crisis in 2022.

This financial collapse coincides with a severe humanitarian emergency driven by four years of drought, conflict, and failed rainy seasons. In Baidoa, MSF found that 50% of children under five are acutely malnourished, with 25% suffering from severe acute malnutrition. MSF has tripled its bed capacity in Baidoa to 150 to manage the influx of patients, admitting over 21,000 children to outpatient facilities and 2,890 to inpatient care since the start of the year.

Approximately 2 million people face emergency levels of food insecurity, and over 500,000 were displaced in the first quarter of 2026 alone. The crisis is further threatened by a projected 90% probability of El Nino conditions starting in mid-2026, which could bring destructive flooding during the October-to-December rainy season. Aid organizations, including Plan International and Save the Children, warn that the lack of urgency from donors is pushing Somalia further down the global agenda while the number of children requiring treatment continues to rise.