Somali families face renewed violence amid worsening hunger crisis
Renewed clashes in Baidoa, Somalia, have killed and injured children amid severe hunger, displacing families and damaging a health facility.
Fresh fighting erupted in Baidoa, Somalia’s South West State, between government forces and fighters loyal to the former regional president, killing and injuring children. A health facility was also damaged, compounding the crisis. The clashes followed the entry of thousands of local fighters into the city on Monday, escalating hostilities. UNICEF expressed deep concern, urging all parties to protect children, schools, and health facilities while ensuring safe humanitarian access.
Somalia faces a severe humanitarian crisis driven by decades of conflict, displacement, trade disruptions, and extreme climate shocks like droughts and flooding. Across the country, two million children are acutely or severely malnourished, making it one of the world’s largest malnutrition crises, according to UN agencies. In Baidoa alone, 26,000 people face catastrophic food insecurity, the highest level on the hunger scale, putting them at risk of famine.
Families in Baidoa have been torn apart by violence and hunger, with one woman describing the loss of her father and brother in clashes. She fled to Mogadishu with her daughter, relying on her aunt’s support but struggling to afford even one meal a day. Her daughter Farhiya has become listless and lost weight, but the Weido clinic cannot admit them due to lack of resources.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reports severe funding shortfalls, reducing its food assistance from over four million people monthly to just over 670,000 today. Hameed Nuru, WFP Country Director in Somalia, warned that without timely funding, aid workers face impossible choices about who receives assistance, risking further deterioration of the crisis.