In Numbers
1.4 million people assisted
US$ 10.2 million delivered via cash-based transfers
3,239 mt of in-kind food assistance distributed
US$ 254.7 million net funding requirements for the next six months (Dec 2024 – May 2025)
Situation Update
- An estimated 5.98 million people are projected to require humanitarian assistance in Somalia in 2025. While this represents a 13 percent reduction compared to 2024, the humanitarian situation remains critical due to anticipated poor rainfall, drier conditions, and persistent armed conflict. In 2024, conflict triggered 476,000 new internal displacements, representing 52 percent of the total, while climate shocks accounted for the majority of the remaining displacements. These frequent displacements and recurring climate shocks continue to strain the coping capacities and resilience of millions of Somalis.
- Driven by La Niña conditions, the October to December Deyr rains have been poor, with delayed onset and minimal rainfall across much of the country. This has resulted in significant vegetation deterioration since early October and is likely to lead to a harsh Jilaal dry season from January to March.
- 4.4 million people in Somalia (23 percent of the population) face acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or worse), while an additional 1.6 million children under five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition from August 2024 to July 2025.
Operational Updates
Humanitarian food assistance
- WFP provided humanitarian food assistance to 753,000 people, with cash-based transfers worth US$ 8.4 million and 2,065 mt of in-kind food.
- WFP and its partners continue full household registrations, an initiative launched in August to ensure assistance reaches the most vulnerable, improve efficiency, and strengthen accountability. To date, registrations and verifications have been completed for 133,000 households across Somalia, achieving 66 percent of the target.
Early recovery and emergency livelihoods support
- WFP’s early recovery interventions focus on transitioning crisis-affected communities from immediate relief to recovery by restoring livelihoods, rebuilding economies, enhancing skills, and laying foundations for structured restoration of essential services.
- Throughout November, WFP assisted 19,800 crisis-affected people participating in community asset creation projects via conditional cash-transfers totalling US$ 247,000.
Nutrition
- WFP provided nutrition support to 471,000 children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) through cashbased transfers totalling US$ 761,000 and 1,146 mt of specialized nutritious commodities. This included 212,000 children and PBWG receiving treatment for moderate acute malnutrition and 260,000 children and PBWG receiving support for malnutrition prevention.
- WFP finalized a study on the Cash for Prevention of Acute Malnutrition pilot, which targeted 15,000 children and PBWG in Mogadishu and Baidoa. The findings showed improved food consumption and enhanced dietary diversity among women, particularly in Baidoa. Preliminary results highlighted the importance of tailored interventions, improved database management and integrating cash transfers with complementary services such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and health.
Home-grown school feeding:
- WFP’s school meals programme reached 85,000 schoolchildren, contributing US$ 738,000 to the local economy through the local food procurement initiative which enabled food sourcing from local markets, supporting smallholder farmers and strengthening local food systems.
Climate-smart food systems and COP29:
- WFP strengthened the capacity of 80,000 people to build their resilience to the impacts of shocks and climate change through climate-smart agricultural training, provision of inputs and equipment, and market linkage assistance.
- At COP29 in Baku, WFP highlighted the critical link between climate change and hunger, urging global leaders to take decisive action, particularly to protect communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Somalia was prominently represented, with the Deputy Prime Minister joining WFP’s Assistant Executive Director. In collaboration with IGAD, WFP addressed key challenges to food and nutrition security, shared best practices, and explored strategies to boost investment in Somalia’s productive sectors. WFP emphasized its pivotal role in climate adaptation, resilience building, and disaster risk financing. Key outcomes included strengthened partnerships with climate finance mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, expanded advocacy for food-insecure populations and the launch of the Baku Call for Climate and Peace.
Gender Transformative Programming:
- WFP engaged with 35 food systems partners and representatives from various ministries through a training of trainers’ workshop. This initiative focused on enhancing the delivery of gender-sensitive agricultural training to farmers and stakeholders, aimed at boosting productivity and promoting sustainability.
- WFP also launched the first phase of a social behavioural change communication and capacity development campaign targeting 100 smallholder farmers (50 percent women) participating in WFP’s food systems interventions in Beletweyne and Jowhar districts. The campaign emphasized the inclusion of women and youth in cooperative leadership, meaningful participation in decision-making, equitable access to and ownership of productive assets, and fostering inclusive community and household planning and collaboration.
UNHAS
- In November, the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) operated 233 flights, transporting 1,200 passengers and 10.2 mt of cargo to 20 destinations, including regular and ad-hoc locations. Interagency support included charter flights for the British Embassy, FAO’s mission to Kismayo, and cargo transport to Jowhar and Beletweyne on behalf of UNICEF.