WFP Food Aid to 6.5 Million Somalis in Crisis as Funding Reaches Catastrophic Shortfall in April

The World Food Programme confirmed in early April 2026 that its emergency food assistance in Somalia has entered a critical funding shortfall, with the organisation having warned since February that aid could halt by April absent urgent donor contributions. The 2026 humanitarian response plan requires $852 million, of which approximately 76% remains unfunded. WFP's programming has been severely curtailed: nutrition support for pregnant and breastfeeding women was cut from 400,000 to 90,000 beneficiaries by December 2025, and more than 200 health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close since early 2025. As of April 2026, 6.5 million Somalis face crisis-level hunger (IPC Phase 3+), including approximately 1.85 million children under five at risk of acute malnutrition. The 2025 Deyr cereal harvest in southern Somalia came in 83% below the 30-year average, driven by drought. The compounding effect of the March 2026 SNA seizure of Baidoa — which disrupted aid operations in Bay Region and generated 50,000+ new IDPs — has further strained humanitarian capacity in one of Somalia's most food-insecure regions.