MOGADISHU, Somalia—Feb 5, 2026 — Somalia is facing a deepening humanitarian emergency as a prolonged and severe drought devastates livelihoods, kills livestock, and threatens millions with hunger and displacement, the government has said.
The drought has spread across large parts of the country, drying up major river systems that support agriculture and pastoralism and wiping out livestock herds that form the backbone of rural economies.
What was initially a seasonal climatic challenge has escalated into a national disaster, raising fears of a potential famine.
Reports from affected regions indicate that pastoral and agropastoral communities are bearing the brunt of the crisis, with widespread livestock deaths caused by acute shortages of water and pasture.
The collapse of livelihoods has forced families to leave their homes in search of food, water, and humanitarian assistance.
The Federal Government has acknowledged that the crisis now threatens the survival of large segments of the population. Officials warn that without urgent intervention, food insecurity and displacement could worsen significantly in the coming months.
In response, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has ordered the immediate exemption of all humanitarian relief supplies from customs taxes in a bid to speed up the delivery of aid.
The directive was issued following a strategic assessment at the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) and is intended to remove bureaucratic delays that could hinder life-saving assistance.
The severity of the drought dominated discussions during the weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, where ministers reviewed data showing acute water shortages and rising levels of food insecurity across the country.
While the government says it is mobilising all available resources to mitigate the impact of the crisis, President Mohamud has called for a united national response, urging the private sector and business community to support relief efforts, noting that the scale of the disaster exceeds the state’s capacity to respond alone.
