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“Waabariste” – meaning “I suddenly found myself in it” – this is what rural communities in Jowhar and Baidoa have named this current drought, reflecting how it caught them off guard.
This drought – which started in December 2025 with impacts expected to be felt through the second half of 2026 – has been intense, with 6.5 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity, of which 2 million (around 10% of the population) are classified as IPC level 4 (Emergency). Its impacts have been compounded by a near-total withdrawal of humanitarian assistance in these regions since early 2025, decimating essential public services. Previous coping mechanisms, including moving to riverine areas or seeking employment in towns, are made less viable by worsening water conditions overall and a stagnant local economy.
Despite these challenges, communities are enacting a number of strategies to navigate this drought. Aid actors must support and build on existing community-led initiatives, several of which are detailed in this report, to ensure effective and sustainable support in a resource-constrained context.