Aid Cuts, Drought, and Government and Tribal Diversion Contribute to Surging Malnutrition in Somalia

     The Washington Post reports that, according to Doctors Without Borders, hospital admissions for severe malnutrition in Somalian displacement camps have surged 83% this year. They found that nearly half the children in the camps in Baidoa in southwestern Somalia were malnourished, and over 100 died. Aid to the country has dropped by 80% and is a direct cause of malnutrition. USAID used to be the largest contributor by far of food aid to Somalia. Somalia has one of the world’s highest numbers of displaced people, with millions living in camps and many 100% dependent on food aid for survival.

“In spite of all our medical treatment, in spite our efforts to increase our team, to increase care, unfortunately, we have also seen the increasing number of deaths,” Sangma told The Washington Post. “We suspect that there are more deaths in the community which we cannot confirm.”

     WAPO notes:

“The Trump administration has cut virtually all aid to Somalia, ranked the fourth-poorest country by the World Population Review. In 2023, Somalia received $1.18 billion in U.S. aid.”

“The State Department suspended all assistance to the Somalian government in January after accusing it of seizing more than 83 tons of food aid and destroying a U.S.-funded World Food Program warehouse.”

“The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance,” the department said at the time. “Any resumption of assistance will be dependent upon the Somali Federal Government, taking accountability for its unacceptable actions and taking appropriate remedial steps.”

     While there is legitimate concern about the Somali government, loss of aid is still increasing malnutrition and death for children, which should be the bigger concern.

     Unfortunately, aid from the EU and the UN is also down in Somalia.

“Six million people were facing “high levels of acute food insecurity,” including 1.9 million in emergency conditions, the OCHA reported, and nearly 1.88 million children were expected to need treatment for acute malnutrition.”

“What we are seeing is shocking and far beyond the threshold of an extremely critical emergency,” MSF project coordinator Allara Ali said. “What is equally shocking is the lack of urgency from donors, who continue to downscale and withdraw support from Somalia.”

     A severe drought that has caused crop failures and livestock deaths is also a major factor in the malnutrition spike. Water supplies have also been depleted. As can be readily seen in the pic below from 2023, livestock are starving as well.

“The consequences of the cuts are becoming more visible now and will get worse in the coming years,” Sangma said. “But the gaps, we already see.”

     Reuters reports that “a July survey by MSF of 888 households in 14 displacement sites in Baidoa, southwest Somalia, found that one in four children was severely malnourished. One third of families said they were surviving on one meal a day, while only 2% could afford three meals.”

“According to the United Nations, more than half a million people were displaced in Somalia in the first three months of 2026, with drought driving most of the movement. Women and children accounted for about 85% of those displaced.”

     One concern is that another famine will be declared like the one in 2022.

     Theft of food aid has been a problem in Somalia for years. In 2023, it was reported that landowners, local authorities, members of the security forces, and humanitarian workers were all involved in stealing aid intended for vulnerable people. Were they hungry too? Did they sell the food? The former is almost justifiable, but the latter is not. The UN reported in 2023 that “post-delivery aid diversion in Somalia is widespread and systemic."

     Along with government interference, there is tribalism and Islamic extremism, neither of which helps those who need aid, but is likely involved in diverting it. In one respect, we should be glad that someone is getting the food. Unfortunately, this kind of food aid diversion has been a problem for decades in Somalia and Ethiopia, where there is a long history of need for food aid.

     Reuters reported in 2023 that the move toward cash-based systems thwarted food assistance diversion when implemented in 2011, but since then, workarounds have been found.

“The U.N. report was the latest evidence that cash-based systems can be exploited too. It identified a variety of perpetrators, led by so-called "gatekeepers," powerful individuals from dominant local clans.”

“These gatekeepers leverage their influence over access to camp sites and food beneficiary lists to coerce payments from IDPs, the report said.”

“Members of security forces also play a role by intimidating and sometimes arresting those who refuse to pay, while some humanitarian workers collude with gatekeepers to pocket stolen funds, the report said.”

     Thus, tribal and government collusion in food aid diversion is real and, in this region, has become a systemic problem that needs to be addressed. It should be seen as the criminal behavior that it is, and those responsible should be accountable. However, the solution should not involve cutting life-saving aid to those in need who are not criminals, especially children. 

 

References:

 

Severe malnutrition in Somalia is surging after US cuts, aid groups say. Rael Ombuor. Washinton Post. August 11, 2026. Severe malnutrition in Somalia is surging after US cuts, aid groups say

Somalia malnutrition response hit by more than 80% funding drop as child hunger surges, MSF says. Feisal Omar. Reuters. August 11, 2026. Somalia malnutrition response hit by more than 80% funding drop as child hunger surges, MSF says

EU temporarily holds back food aid in Somalia after UN finds widespread theft. Gabriela Baczynska, Michelle Nichols, Aaron Ross and Emma Farge. Reuters. September 19, 2023. EXCLUSIVE: EU temporarily holds back food aid in Somalia after UN finds widespread theft | Reuters