Funding to tackle malnutrition in Somalia drops over 80% as child hunger crisis worsens, MSF warns

A severe humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Baidoa, Somalia, where prolonged drought and conflict have displaced over 500,000 people in early 2026. Despite acute malnutrition rates reaching 50% among children under five in displacement camps, international funding to tackle the crisis has collapsed by over 80%. The United States cut its $70 million aid contribution to zero, forcing Médecins Sans Frontières to expand hospital capacity while facing high patient re-admission rates.

Baidoa displacement camp malnutrition

• ▪In the July 2026 Médecins Sans Frontières survey, only 2% of surveyed families in Baidoa displacement sites could afford three meals a day, while one-third survived on one meal.
• ▪Data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification in May 2026 showed that about half of all children under five in Somalia were facing acute malnutrition.
• ▪Plan International reported that about 2 million people in Somalia are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, which is more than double the number from the previous year.
• ▪A July 2026 survey by Médecins Sans Frontières of 888 households in 14 Baidoa displacement sites found that one in four children was severely malnourished.
• ▪Since January 2026, Médecins Sans Frontières has screened more than 21,000 children under five in Baidoa, finding acute malnutrition rates of approximately 50%.

Humanitarian funding collapse

• ▪Funding to tackle acute malnutrition in parts of Somalia has dropped by more than 80% in 2026, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.
• ▪Donor funding available for Somalia fell to approximately $300 million in 2026, compared to the $2.2 billion provided during the 2022 drought crisis.
• ▪Médecins Sans Frontières Health Adviser Mitchell Sangma stated that the United States cut its support to aid agencies in Somalia from $70 million last year to no funding in 2026.
• ▪Somalia's humanitarian response plan was reduced by 40% in 2026 and was less than one-third funded by July 2026, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.

Climate-driven displacement patterns

• ▪Women and children accounted for approximately 85% of the more than 500,000 people displaced in Somalia in the first three months of 2026, according to United Nations data.
• ▪According to the United Nations, more than 500,000 people were displaced in Somalia during the first three months of 2026, with drought driving nine out of ten displacements.
• ▪Plan International reported that the city of Baidoa hosts about 1.6 million people, with nearly half of the population being displaced individuals.

MSF hospital capacity expansion

• ▪Due to funding shortages, Médecins Sans Frontières and other organizations are prioritizing life-saving over preventative programs, leading to patient re-admission rates exceeding 60% in MSF-backed programs.
• ▪Médecins Sans Frontières expanded its therapeutic feeding facility in Baidoa to 150 beds in 2026 to accommodate the rising number of malnourished children.
• ▪Mitchell Sangma stated that 90% of children admitted to the Médecins Sans Frontières facility in Baidoa presented with severe medical complications.

Failed rainy seasons impact

• ▪In February 2026, the Somali government and the United Nations reported that approximately 6.5 million people in Somalia faced acute hunger due to drought.
• ▪Plan International CEO Reena Ghelani reported that drought-displaced families in Baidoa are facing outbreaks of diseases including diphtheria, measles, malaria, cholera, and acute diarrhea.
• ▪The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization projected a greater than 90% probability of El Niño conditions developing from mid-2026, threatening Somalia with severe flooding during the October-to-December rainy season.

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