OCHA Drought Situation Report No. 5: HRP Only 13.4% Funded; Gu Rains Begin — But Crisis Persists

OCHA's Somalia 2025–2026 Drought Emergency Situation Report No. 5 (published April 6, 2026) confirmed that the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) requiring $852 million was funded at only approximately 13.4%, meaning over $737 million remains unmet. This represents a sharp deterioration from earlier in the year when WFP said 76% was unfunded — the April figure reflects the full $852M annual plan now updated. Key findings: 4.4 million people face IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse acute food insecurity; more than 2 million are in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) conditions; 1.8 million children under five face acute malnutrition with roughly 500,000 at severe risk. The start of the Gu rainy season (April–June) is expected to provide some relief, with FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and OCHA projecting 'average Gu rains' beginning in mid-April. However, the UN agencies warned that even average Gu rainfall will be 'insufficient to impact area-level outcomes by May,' given the scale of drought damage, the lack of seeds and inputs, and the ongoing impact of active conflict zones restricting agricultural recovery. The situation in Bay and Bakool regions — recently affected by the SNA's March seizure of Baidoa and the resulting 50,000+ displacement — remains particularly critical. Oxfam reported water costs have increased by up to 2,000% in worst-hit areas.