In a press briefing in Geneva on 21 August 2026, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said aid cuts have closed 205 health and nutrition facilities in Somalia. He reported that in the first six months of 2026, admissions of children with severe acute malnutrition and complications to stabilisation centres rose 32 per cent compared with the same period last year. Funding cuts have contributed to a 30 per cent reduction in health and nutrition service coverage, and UNICEF warned that under severe funding scenarios as many as 618 health facilities could close nationwide.

Elder said nearly one million children under five, adolescent girls and women risk losing access to nutrition services. Nearly 1.9 million children are projected to be affected by malnutrition in 2026, including almost half a million with severe acute malnutrition, according to the briefing. He also cited a 40 per cent cut between 2025 and 2026 to the budget for the UN humanitarian air service in Somalia.

Across other sectors, UNICEF said more than 1.6 million people need safe water and more than 800,000 risk losing essential hygiene supplies, while the price of a 200-litre barrel of water in rural and pastoral areas rose from about US$2 to US$8. The education sector lost US$30 million in 2025, and more than 78,000 students have dropped out, with another 660,000 at risk, the briefing said. At least 65 child protection service points and facilities have closed. Elder described severe drought in parts of the north, conflict and displacement, rising fuel and fertiliser costs, and a record-strength El Niño forecast to bring flooding that could peak in the coming months.