Military Space News
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Prolonged drought risks famine for millions in Somalia: ICRC

Prolonged drought risks famine for millions in Somalia: ICRC

by AFP Staff Writers
Geneva (AFP) Mar 3, 2026
Millions of people in Somalia are at risk of famine due to prolonged drought, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Tuesday.

After two consecutive failed rainy seasons, there is a high risk of a return to the "catastrophic levels of hunger seen in 2022", the ICRC said in a statement.

Unless there is rain urgently, only a massive increase in humanitarian aid will prevent "millions of people" from slipping further "into emergency levels of hunger", it said.

The number of people in Somalia classed as being in a "crisis or worse" situation nearly doubled between early 2025 and February-March 2026 to reach 6.5 million people, according to an assessment published last week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

The United Nations agency, based in Rome, measures hunger and malnutrition around the world.

"At the same time, humanitarian funding for Somalia has sharply decreased, forcing many organisations to close programmes, limiting food and water assistance, as well as healthcare and livelihood support, even as needs are rising sharply," the ICRC said.

On February 20, the UN World Food Programme warned that it would have to cease its humanitarian aid in the Horn of Africa country by April if it did not receive new funds.

The ICRC said that animal herding, on which more than 60 percent of Somalis depend for their livelihood, had been weakened by repeated climate shocks and was "now on the verge of collapse".

Herds of goats and camels have been decimated, "leaving families without any source of income or food and forcing thousands of people to seek refuge in makeshift camps", it said.

Decades of fighting in Somalia have exacerbated the situation.

Last year, more than 500,000 people were forced from their homes by the combined effects of conflict and drought, the UN agency said.

"The fighting has caused displacement. The drought has caused displacement... The situation will become desperate if the rains don't come soon," said Mohamed Sheikh, who oversees ICRC operations in the Galmudug region.

Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Rain in Tehran brings relief from nationwide drought
Tehran (AFP) Dec 11, 2025
Tehran's first rains of the autumn, rare so late in the year, have brought relief to inhabitants suffering from a nationwide drought that has caused water shortages and degraded air quality. On Wednesday, a downpour caused major traffic jams on most of Tehran's streets and a first rainfall earlier in December followed months without rain in the Iranian capital. Iran's already arid climate has been hit by its worst drought in over 60 years, with rainfall in Tehran at low levels not seen for a ce ... read more

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Leonardo DRS infrared payloads selected for SDA Tracking Layer Tranche 3

AST SpaceMobile secures role on MDA SHIELD defense architecture

Greenland is helpful, but not vital, for US missile defense

Netanyahu says Israel won't let Iran restore ballistic missile programme

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Raytheon advances next generation short range interceptor with ballistic test

Russian strikes kill 4, wound two dozen in Ukraine

Japan and US agree to expand cooperation on missiles, military drills

Russia claims Oreshnik missile hit Ukrainian aviation plant

CLIMATE SCIENCE
AALTO plans Zephyr stratospheric hub in northern Australia and seeks local payload partners

Drones, sirens, army posters: How four years of war changed a Russian city

Drone attack on Sudan market kills 28: rights group

Bitter cold complicates Ukraine's drone defence

CLIMATE SCIENCE
MTN to deliver secure SpaceX government satcom for defense customers

EU brings secure GOVSATCOM hub online under GMV leadership

Balerion backs Northwood to tackle ground bottlenecks in expanding space economy

Aalyria spacetime platform tapped for AFRL space data network trials

CLIMATE SCIENCE
New electrolyte design aims to make giant flow batteries safer

Aitech and Teledyne expand partnership on space grade SP1 computing platform

Gilat wins 9 million dollar MOD deal for secure defense satcom

Norway buys French bombs for Ukraine: ministry

CLIMATE SCIENCE
BAE Systems posts record order backlog as defence spending rises

Canada launches huge defence plan to curb reliance on US

German foreign minister slams France over defence spending

Ukraine, Norway, Sweden top destinations for German arms exports

CLIMATE SCIENCE
French prosecutors announce special team for Epstein files

UK's Starmer urges 'sleeping giant' Europe to curb dependence on US

EU top diplomat rejects Europe 'bashing' by US as calls grow for a US reset

Japan protests China comments on reviving 'militarism'

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Engineered substrates sharpen single nanoparticle plasmon spectra



The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - SpaceDaily.com. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters