MOGADISHU, May 14 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 6 million people in Somalia are currently facing high levels of acute food insecurity through June, according to a report released Thursday.
The updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report details a worsening emergency driven by recurring drought, conflict, displacement, rising costs, and shrinking international aid. This marks an increase of more than half a million people compared to initial projections.
The IPC warned that in the Burhakaba district of the Bay region, acute malnutrition has reached extremely critical levels, with famine risks emerging under a plausible worst-case scenario unless assistance is urgently scaled up.
The report also noted that the crisis is being intensified by global economic shocks linked to instability in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East crisis. Disrupted supply routes have made humanitarian operations increasingly difficult.
According to the analysis, nearly 1.88 million children are now expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2026, 42,000 more than previously projected. Without urgent treatment, severely malnourished children face a significantly higher risk of mortality. ■
