"The time to step up is now" for the people of Somalia, where drought threatens 1.7 million young children at risk of acute malnutrition, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
The East African country faced famine in 2022, but a scale-up in humanitarian assistance helped to avert catastrophe.
Today, food insecurity on the increase once again, with 3.4 million people already acutely food insecure. That number is projected to rise by a full million, to 4.4 million between April and June - nearly a quarter of the population.
According to the international food security classification system IPC, acute hunger is level three on a scale of one to five, with level five denoting famine and level four, severe acute malnutrition.
High risk of mortality
WFP believes that about 1.26 million children under the age of five need immediate support. Of that number, 466,000 will likely be severely acutely malnourished this year and at risk of death.
"We have learned in Somalia from past experience that that delays can be deadly, and we need resources to provide support to these very vulnerable groups," said WFP spokesperson Jean-Martin Bauer, speaking from Rome.
He called on donors and partners to increase funding to the country of 19 million people.
Poor harvest
Two consecutive failed crop seasons last year resulted in harvests 45 per cent below-average yields, Mr. Bauer said.
This is linked to consecutive climate shocks in Somalia, where poor rainfall depleted water sources and led to livestock losses.
Weather forecasters predict another drought from April to June, while humanitarians warn that malnutrition is likely to worsen due to disease outbreaks and reduced food access.
WFP has yet to factor in the impact of any funding cuts from the United States but chronic underfunding has forced it to cut back assistance to 820,000 people, down from 2.2 million in 2022.
The agency has also had to downsize its school feeding programme, which was suspended in some states including the South West and Somaliland.
Funding shortfalls
Just 12 per cent of the $1.4 billion overall appeal for Somalia has been funded so far, Mr. Bauer said.
The WFP provides up to 90 per cent of food assistance in Somalia, making it an essential lifeline for thousands of people, including many internally displaced by conflict.
A combination of in-kind food assistance and cash-based transfers is needed to mitigate the worst effects of the crisis, Mr. Bauer stressed, referring to aid coming in the form of goods or services like food packages, shelter and blankets.
"When you are facing a crisis like the one we are worried about in Somalia, we need all types of resources to be put at play to avert the worst," he said.
