Somalia: Child malnutrition cases nearly triple amid drought, Save the Children warns

Save the Children has sounded the alarm over a dramatic rise in severe acute malnutrition among children in Somalia. The humanitarian organization reported that its stabilization center in Baidoa, located in the country's south-central region, treated 1,405 children for the condition in the first half of 2026. This figure represents a 177% increase from the 507 children treated during the same period last year.

“

We depend in large part on humanitarian assistance from organizations like Save the Children. If that assistance diminishes, we will not be able to continue providing essential services. Medicines and equipment will be scarce, and many children whose lives could have been saved will not receive the treatment they need.

The crisis in Baidoa, within the Bay region, is fueled by a combination of factors. Scarce rainfall has led to crop and livestock losses, exacerbating an already dire situation. Compounding the problem are dwindling international aid, escalating food prices, and a general reduction in people's purchasing power. In June alone, the center admitted 400 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a stark contrast to the 143 admitted in January.

Medical professionals at the Baidoa center, supported by Save the Children, emphasize their reliance on humanitarian aid. "If that assistance diminishes, we will not be able to continue providing essential services. Medicines and equipment will be scarce, and many children whose lives could have been saved will not receive the treatment they need," stated Mustaf, a doctor at the facility.

“

Fifteen years ago, the world watched Somalia's children die in a famine that early warnings failed to stop. Today those alerts are flashing again in the same regions, and the children arriving at our center in Baidoa are sicker than we have seen in years.

Save the Children's country director for Somalia, Mohamud Mohamed Hassan, drew a somber parallel to the 2011 famine, which claimed the lives of approximately 260,000 people, half of them children. "Today, those alerts are flashing again in the same regions, and the children arriving at our center in Baidoa are sicker than we have seen in years," Hassan warned. He stressed that the knowledge to prevent such a catastrophe exists but is hampered by a lack of funding and timely action. "The world must act now with that urgency," he urged, highlighting the critical need for immediate assistance to the Bay region to prevent a recurrence of past tragedies.

“

We know how to prevent this. What is missing is not knowledge, but funding and speed. If assistance reaches the Bay region now, these children will recover and return home. If it arrives late, we will be counting a cost that in 2011 we promised never to repeat. The world must act now with that urgency.