OCHA Chief: 'Often We're Having to Choose Which Lives to Save' — Al Jazeera Documents Somalia's Converging Aid, Drought, and Conflict Catastrophe

Al Jazeera published a major photo essay on May 7, 2026 titled 'Aid cuts, drought and conflict leave Somalis desperate,' documenting Somalia's compounding humanitarian catastrophe through the assessment of UN OCHA chief Tom Fletcher: 'Things are really, really desperate... Often we're having to choose which lives to save.' The gallery documented three converging drivers: three consecutive failed rainy seasons have doubled Somalia's malnutrition rate; the OCHA Somalia programme has been slashed from $2.6 billion (2023) to $852 million (2026) — driven by the Trump administration's USAID reductions; and multiple international organizations have halted operations at Kismayo IDP camps. Confirmed figures as of May 7: 6.5 million Somalis facing high levels of hunger (IPC Phase 3+); 2 million+ in IPC Phase 4 Emergency; 1.85 million children under five at acute malnutrition risk with approximately 500,000 at severe acute malnutrition (SAM) levels; 300,000+ displaced since January 1, 2026; more than 200 health centres and 400+ schools closed since 2025. WFP has cut nutrition support from 400,000 to 90,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women. The OCHA humanitarian response plan is only 13.4% funded, leaving the humanitarian community forced to triage between competing needs. The crisis remains largely unreported internationally amid Somalia's simultaneous political and security emergencies.