Puntland is among the worst affected areas, where authorities estimate nearly one million people need support, including 130,000 who have immediate, life-threatening needs.
A UN assessment mission to the Bari and Nugaal regions earlier this month found Communities are facing severe food and water shortages, and residents warn that a catastrophe could strike in the coming months..
“We haven’t had rain since last year; this is the worst drought in years,” said Abdiqani Osman Omar, mayor of the village of Shaxda in the Bari region.
“Hundreds of displaced families moved here three months ago and more are arriving. The new arrivals are mostly women and children, as the men have moved to nearby Ethiopia in search of pasture and water.”
The village does not have the capacity to support them, he added, stating that even host communities need water and food assistance.
Dry water sources, abandoned settlements
Throughout Puntland, Water points have dried up, vegetation has withered and pastoral settlements that were once inhabited are now abandoned..
In the city of Dhaxan, where the brief rains of the Gu’ (April-June) season offered short-lived hope earlier this year, residents now rely on expensive trucked water after the local well was found to be contaminated.
Community leader Jama Abshir Hersi said around 150 families moved to the city after the rains.
“We used to receive food and nutrition assistance, and medical supplies for our health unit. All that assistance has decreased,” he said.
Financing gap
Financing shortfalls are worsening the crisis.
As of November 23, Somalia’s Humanitarian Response Plan 2025 was only 23.7 percent funded, forcing significant reductions in assistance. The number of people receiving emergency food aid fell from 1.1 million in August to just 350,000 this month.
In Puntland alone, 89 supplementary feeding sites and 198 health and stabilization centers are facing severe supply shortages.
Millions are hungry
The drought is developing in the midst of an already terrible humanitarian panorama. At least 4.4 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity until December, while 1.85 million children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition until mid-2026.
Weather forecasts indicate little immediate relief. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that dry and hot conditions are expected to persist in most parts of the country, particularly in the central and northern regions.
“Prevailing high temperatures and low rainfall are likely to exacerbate water stress and limit pasture regeneration in most areas.” the agency said.