The country is heavily dependent on imports and now the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, blocking grain exports from Ukraine, is likely to further exacerbate hunger and the humanitarian crisis. Ukrainian wheat has been an important source of food for some of the most vulnerable in the country and with almost 2 million children in Somalia suffering from malnutrition, failure to renew the deal could be catastrophic.

More than 1.3 million people have fled their homes in the first half of 2023 – already nearly as many as in all of 2022 and more than triple the rate of displacement in 2021.

• Almost 60% of these have been displaced by severe flooding or extreme drought, as climate change increases suffering in the region. In Bay region of southern Somalia over 100,000 people have fled their homes due to the ongoing drought – the region’s worst in 70 years – while in Hiraan more than 260,000 people have been displaced by flash flooding.
• More than 40% of people are fleeing rising conflict and insecurity. Over 200,000 people have been displaced in the Sool region of Somaliland as the Somaliland National Army and armed clan militia battle over the regional capital of Las Anod. Fighting between the internationally backed government of Somalia and Al Shabaab has also caused thousands of people across the country to flee.

With over 7,400 people fleeing every day this year, aid agencies are struggling to meet the enormous needs.

While humanitarian aid and the resilience of local communities has helped avert famine, there is a real risk that any progress could be rapidly undone.

Aliow Mohamed, Islamic Relief’s Country Director in Somalia, says, "The threat of hunger is still knocking at the door. The drought has destroyed the livelihoods of millions of people, and others are fleeing conflict to try and find safety. The camps are filled with people who are destitute and have nothing left, and aid agencies are running out of resources to help them.”

At least half of Somalia’s population (8.5 million people) now needs aid. Yet despite a major pledging conference for the Horn of Africa earlier this year, the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia is still less than one third funded – with the vast majority of funds coming from the United States. Islamic Relief is calling on other major donors to step up, and for the international community to increase efforts to extend the Black Sea grain deal.

Mohamed says: "It is heartbreaking to see people who have fled their homes and travelled miles to a camp in the belief that there will be food and water there, then realising there is no support for them. We have seen mothers arrive in camps with their children, then have to wait months for support and lose one or two children to hunger or disease in the meantime.”