Somalia Convenes High-Level Meeting in Mogadishu as Drought and Food Insecurity Worsen

Mogadishu(SONNA)-Somalia’s Disaster Management Commissioner on Tuesday opened a high-level humanitarian meeting in Mogadishu, bringing together government institutions and international agencies to address the country’s worsening drought and food insecurity crisis. Mahamud Moallim Abdulle, Commissioner of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SODMA), called for swift, data-driven decisions to save lives and strengthen coordination between authorities and humanitarian partners.

“We need urgent, evidence-based decisions rather than broad plans to protect vulnerable communities and prevent this crisis from worsening,” Commissioner Moallim said, stressing that outcomes from the meeting would directly influence drought mitigation efforts and the protection of Somali lives.

Discussions focused on identifying the most at-risk areas facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) conditions, developing a costed emergency response plan with clear roles and responsibilities, and reinforcing ongoing interventions to curb further deterioration. The meeting comes after one of the driest October–December rainy seasons on record, driven by La Niña conditions, which has left an estimated 4.61 million people affected by prolonged drought nationwide.

The crisis is further compounded by funding shortfalls, as Somalia’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan was only 26 percent funded by the end of December, forcing humanitarian agencies to scale back assistance despite rapidly growing needs.