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Somalia's hungry and most vulnerable: Child malnutrition surges amid clinic closures

Marwo Abdikarim consoles her 11-month-old, Ahmed Hussein Mohamed, at the stabilization centre in Kismayo.
Marwo Abdikarim consoles her 11-month-old, Ahmed Hussein Mohamed, at the stabilization centre in Kismayo. She came from Mareerey village in Jilib district, Lower Juba, approximately 120km journey from the facility seeking treatment. Upon arrival, her son was immediately admitted to the ICU and has been responding positively to the treatment.
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed / ICRC

Severe malnutrition among children has surged across Somalia, with health facilities supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) seeing record admissions since the devastating drought two years ago. In May alone, the stabilization centre at Kismayo General Hospital admitted 277 critically ill children, the highest monthly number since 2023. Between January and May, the centre admitted 863 patients, an increase of almost 70 per cent compared with the previous five months. 

They gave him medicine when I arrived. They gave him milk. Thank God, he is fine now. I didn’t think he would make it.

Marwo Abdikarim A mother who travelled hundreds of kilometres with her eleven-month-old son, Ahmed Hussein, to seek emergency care.

Stabilization centres like the one in Kismayo provide life-saving treatment for children under the age of five who are suffering from medical complications brought on by hunger. But such facilities are scarce. Nutritional clinics that once played the key role in preventing widespread malnutrition are closing due to funding cuts, leaving vulnerable families without access to early care.

The Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS), supported by the ICRC, is also reporting an increase in patients receiving treatment at its outpatient nutrition clinics. The rising needs come amid intensifying conflict, mass displacement, and a cycle of floods and droughts that are pushing communities to the brink.

The stabilization centre in Kismayo
The stabilization centre in Kismayo has seen a surge in admissions. In April, 239 patients were admitted, more than double the number in March. In May, the figure rose to 277 children, the highest since the devastating drought of 2023.”
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed / ICRC

Conflict is uprooting families, floods are destroying crops, and some areas are already parched by drought. Parents simply cannot afford food, and small children are the first to starve.

Antoine Grand Head of the ICRC delegation in Somalia
ICRC Health Field Officer Mohamed Said Egal reviews a patient’s medical chart at the stabilization centre in Kismayo General Hospital.
ICRC Health Field Officer Mohamed Said Egal reviews a patient’s medical chart at the stabilization centre in Kismayo General Hospital. The facility offers life-saving treatment for children under five suffering from severe malnutrition and critical complications such as anaemia, oedema, kwashiorkor, and marasmus.
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed / ICRC

Revised humanitarian projections[1] estimate that food insecurity will worsen in the coming months, with nearly 47,000 children expected to suffer from acute malnutrition. 

In response, the ICRC continues to support the stabilization centre in Kismayo, which has admitted nearly 900 severely malnourished children this year. Eleven ICRC-supported nutrition clinics run by the SRCS have treated close to 1,400 patients. In addition, more than 15,000 displaced families have received emergency cash assistance to help them buy food and essentials, while hospitals treating weapon-wounded patients continue to receive medical supplies and support.

At the triage area of the stabilization centre, vital measurements such as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), weight, and height are taken to assess the child’s nutritional status.
At the triage area of the stabilization centre, vital measurements such as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), weight, and height are taken to assess the child’s nutritional status.
Photo: Abdikarim Mohamed / ICRC