Years-long drought causes Somali families to flee

A deepening hunger crisis is driving thousands of Somali families into displacement camps as drought, conflict and shrinking aid converge. Plan International says about 2 million people now face emergency food insecurity, more than double last year’s figure. 

The city of Baidoa now hosts roughly 1.6 million people, nearly half of them displaced, with one in five families lacking reliable water access. 

Data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification shows about half of Somali children under five face acute malnutrition. Aid groups warn a forecast El Niño, bringing flooding risk later this year, could deepen the crisis further.

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