MOGADISHU (WDN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an urgent appeal for $6.42 million to sustain critical health and nutrition services for millions of vulnerable people in Somalia, Sudan, and Djibouti, warning that without immediate financial support, essential medical care could be severely disrupted.

The funding request forms part of WHO’s broader $25.4 million regional emergency response plan aimed at addressing the overlapping crises of food insecurity, malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and fragile health systems affecting six countries across the WHO Eastern Mediterranean and African regions.

WHO said the additional funding would enable it to continue delivering lifesaving healthcare, nutrition programs, disease surveillance, early warning systems, malnutrition screening, treatment for severely malnourished children, and the procurement and distribution of essential medicines and medical supplies.

In Somalia, the humanitarian situation remains particularly alarming. According to WHO, more than 6.5 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or worse, while nearly 1.8 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition.

The agency also reported that over 3.5 million Somalis remain internally displaced, many of them living in overcrowded settlements with limited access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare.

Compounding the crisis, funding shortages have forced the closure of more than 200 health facilities, significantly reducing access to essential medical services for some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.

WHO warned that Somalia continues to face recurring outbreaks of cholera, acute watery diarrhea (AWD), measles, and malaria, placing additional strain on an already overstretched healthcare system.

Working alongside Somalia’s Ministry of Health and humanitarian partners, WHO is supporting the expansion of treatment centers for severe acute malnutrition, deploying mobile medical teams to underserved communities, strengthening disease surveillance, and pre-positioning essential medicines and emergency health supplies.

Regional Crisis Extends Beyond Somalia

The appeal also highlights worsening humanitarian conditions across the Horn of Africa. WHO described Sudan as facing the region’s most severe food security crisis, with nearly 19.5 million people experiencing acute hunger amid ongoing conflict and displacement.

In neighboring Djibouti, approximately 230,000 people are also confronting severe food insecurity classified as IPC Phase 3 or higher, underscoring the regional nature of the crisis.

Urgent Call for International Support. WHO cautioned that failure to secure immediate funding could force reductions—or even suspension—of vital health and nutrition programs, leaving millions of people without access to lifesaving care.

The agency warned that such disruptions would likely accelerate the spread of infectious diseases, increase child malnutrition, and deepen an already fragile humanitarian situation across Somalia, Sudan, and Djibouti.

As humanitarian needs continue to outpace available resources, WHO’s appeal serves as a stark reminder that timely international support remains essential to preventing a further deterioration of one of the world’s most vulnerable regions. For millions of families struggling to survive, sustained global solidarity could mean the difference between life and death.

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