The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) will drastically reduce emergency food assistance in Somalia, cutting the number of beneficiaries from 1.1 million in August to 350,000 in November, Bloomberg reported.

The agency warned that the reduction will leave fewer than one in every ten people in need of life-saving aid. Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said the organisation faces a rapidly shrinking capacity to respond to rising hunger. “Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most,” he said.

Humanitarian agencies across countries affected by conflict and climate-related crises have faced sharp declines in donor support, a trend accelerated after former US President Donald Trump restructured the US Agency for International Development, limiting funding flows.

A report published in The Lancet earlier this year estimated that these cuts could contribute to approximately 14 million additional deaths by 2030, underscoring the long-term consequences of the aid shortfall.