Somalia is experiencing one of the world’s most challenging food crises that has lasted for over three decades. Now climate change, conflict and global politics have dramatically increased the food insecurity in the country. 

“I didn’t have anything to feed my children. I gave them boiled water with sugar to stop them crying for food, but that only brought a little relief before they start crying and asking for food again,” says Maryan Mohamed Ali, 28.

According to the United Nations, the latest analysis shows that between April and June 2023, approximately 6.6 million people in Somalia will likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity.

The situation is particularly dire in rural areas. Displacement camps close to urban areas are growing with people who have had their crops fail and livestock die due to the drought.

The Ukraine war has worsened the food crisis in the country. More than 90 per cent of Somalia’s grains were from Ukraine and Russia, and when the war started, Somalia suffered from a huge shortage of food supplies. When thousands of people were on the verge of famine, the world largely focused on Ukraine.