As severe weather disasters increase, leaders at COP30 must take action

Typhoon-hit communities in the Philippines face severe food shortages in the coming days and weeks with authorities and aid agencies working to avert widespread hunger, Islamic Relief’s emergency response team is warning.

Typhoon Fung-wong has forced over 1.1 million people from their homes and devastated agriculture, and Islamic Relief’s emergency team in Aurora province says most families have lost their main sources of income and food. Islamic Relief aid workers estimate that over 96% of banana crops in the areas they have reached have been destroyed and fishermen cannot go out to sea.

Ronald Cabalquinto, part of Islamic Relief’s emergency response team, says:  

“The devastation we’re seeing is beyond previous typhoons. The water reached the height of a two-storey building and many houses near the coast have been totally washed away. There is debris everywhere. The death toll is not high, but hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now dependent on aid and only have food for two or three days. Many people have been taken in by relatives, friends and neighbours but we have also seen families at the side of the road under tarpaulins with nowhere to go.”

Sabilyo, 57, a fisherman in Aurora province, told Islamic Relief: “My family’s only source of income, our boat, was split in half by the storm’s fierce winds and waves. I don’t know where to start. My house is washed out, and my boat is gone. I just hope someone can help us start again.”

Aid agencies and the Philippines government have distributed food packs to displaced families, but they will run out in the next few days and more aid is urgently needed.

The typhoon struck on the eve of the COP30 climate change summit taking place in Brazil and Islamic Relief says the climate crisis is increasing the severity and frequency of natural disasters, hitting the poorest communities hardest. The Philippines suffered record numbers of typhoons and storms last year.  

Ronald Cabalquinto says: “In the Philippines typhoons are part of island life. But these storms have been hitting more of the islands and provinces at once and causing greater destruction than they used to. It is vital that world leaders at COP30 fulfil commitments to bring emissions and global warming to a contained level.”

Investing in early warnings and helping communities adapt to the changing climate can help save lives. In Aurora province the initial death toll from Typhoon Fung-wong was zero, thanks largely to a government warning to evacuate.

Over a month since deadly earthquakes devastated villages in eastern Afghanistan, thousands of survivors are still homeless and sleeping out in the open without proper shelter as the bitterly cold winter approaches, Islamic Relief is warning.

Latest assessments show that 90% of survivors in rural Kunar province are still without proper shelter, leaving them extremely vulnerable as temperatures plummet. Harsh winters in the mountainous region bring heavy snow and ice and temperatures as low as minus-20 degrees Celsius (-4 °F).

The deadly earthquake, which struck just before midnight on 31 August, killed more than 2,200 people and destroyed over 6,300 homes. But not enough aid has yet arrived, and the response is critically short of funds. 

Earthquake survivor Wahidullah Ehsas is one of many still sleeping outside in Dewagal valley in Kunar province. He told Islamic Relief:

“My family and I are living in very difficult conditions. Since our house was damaged, we are staying outside under temporary shelters with limited food, water, and blankets. The nights are cold, aftershocks continue, and our children and elderly are suffering the most. While some households have received emergency tents, a significant number of people remain without proper shelter.

“We fear for our survival in the coming winter because, due to the continuous earthquakes, our homes are no longer safe or suitable to live in. The weather is getting colder and the nights are already chilly. In the coming months, the temperature will drop further, especially in these mountainous areas, making it very hard for families staying outside without proper shelter, blankets, or heating.”

Ibrahim Alhomadi, head of programmes at Islamic Relief Afghanistan, said:

“As winter approaches, survivors are at extreme risk of hypothermia and illness if they can’t get shelter soon. Families survived the earthquake but now risk dying from the cold winter.

“It’s appalling that thousands of people are still without proper shelter almost a month after the earthquake, but the humanitarian response is critically underfunded. Global attention fades away after a few days but the needs remain huge as these families have lost everything – their homes, relatives, livelihoods, and around 95% of them lost their food stocks. The situation for earthquake-affected families is increasingly dire. Many survivors are still living in temporary shelters, such as tents and tarpaulins, which offer minimal protection against the harsh winter conditions. 

“We’ve given some families emergency tents, but this is not sustainable for winter – we need to get them into proper shelters as soon as possible.”

Three quarters of the way through the year, the 2025 UN-led Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Afghanistan is still less than 30% funded, and the UN has appealed for an additional $139 million to support earthquake survivors. 

Immediately after the earthquake Islamic Relief deployed an emergency health team and ambulance to help survivors. The charity has also distributed more than 200 tents, 950 hygiene kits, and installed latrines 

Notes

*The data was collected by OCHA as part of an interagency needs assessment.

A hunger crisis is looming in Pakistan as recent floods have decimated food production in Punjab province, a main breadbasket region which produces around 50% of the country’s staple crops of rice, Maize, sugar cane and cotton. Islamic Relief is warning the destruction is likely to threaten at least two crop cycles, leading to severe shortages and pushing food prices out of reach for the poorest families. 

The monsoon floods, which began in June, have so far affected over 4.5 million people and killed around 1,000 people across the country. In Punjab province alone, at least 1.8 million acres of agricultural land have been flooded, affecting up to 70% of the province.  

Many farmers in Punjab have lost all their crops, grain stocks and livestock, which were there only source of income. Islamic Relief aid workers report that some farmers with surviving livestock are still staying in homes that are damaged or flooded with stagnant water, because they do not want to leave their precious cattle unattended as they are all they have left. 

Raza Narejo, acting country director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, said:

“Punjab province is the most important food-producing region in Pakistan, but 70% of it has been flooded and crops and livelihoods have been washed away. It will have an impact across Pakistan and national food shortages are now looming.  

“Many people here depend on agriculture, but now they have almost nothing. They are now completely dependent on government and humanitarian support. They urgently need food, water and sanitation services, and when they can return to their homes they will need seeds, fertiliser and further support to re-establish their crops on their land once more.”

Abdul Rehman, 55, from Muradabad in Punjab province escaped the floods last month with his family of five. He told Islamic Relief:

“The floods came at night and we had to run away in a hurry. We couldn’t grab anything to take with us because we were in fear. In the morning everything was destroyed. One side of our home has fallen away, and it is completely damaged. We had two goats and two sheep but they all drowned. 

“Now I have to look for other work. I have to rebuild the broken parts of my home, and for that I need to earn well, but since the floods I have been unable to find any income and my livestock are gone.”

Islamic Relief is working in flood-affected areas to deliver food, water and sanitation, and help farmers reestablish their livelihoods by providing them with seeds for planting next season and other agricultural support. Beyond agriculture, Islamic Relief has so far reached over 140,000 people in Pakistan in the aftermath of these monsoon floods with food, water, tents, and hygiene supplies.

Nearly 3 million* people have crossed into Afghanistan so far this year, the world’s biggest cross-border migration of people, increasing the country’s population by 6.5% in just nine months. The massive influx with between 10,000-15,000 people now arriving every day is placing massive strain on resources in one of the world’s poorest countries, which is overwhelmed by the recent deadly earthquake, unprecedented aid cuts, and a crippling drought.

The arrivals are Afghans who have been ordered to leave neighbouring countries and ‘return home’ although up to 80% of them were born outside Afghanistan or have lived outside for decades. Over 2 million of them have been ordered out of Iran, while almost 700,000 have crossed from Pakistan and a small number also from Tajikistan.

Islamic Relief aid workers supporting the new arrivals say most arrive poor, exhausted and in desperate need of shelter, food, healthcare and jobs.

The influx is happening when Afghanistan is facing a myriad of crises:

• This month deadly earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan wiped out entire villages, killed over 2,000 people, and left thousands homeless including some of the returnees.
• The economy has contracted by nearly a third since 2021 with unemployment climbing to 13.3% in 2024. Foreign aid, which the country depends on, has been slashed. USAID, previously by far the largest donor, has now fully halted all funding and other donors are failing to fill the gap. Three quarters of the way through the year, the UN-coordinated 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) has just 28% of the funds it needs.
• A five year drought is affecting over 19 provinces. In early 2025, nearly five million people across Afghanistan were affected by climate disruption like drought and flooding and nearly 400,000 people were displaced.

Around 22.9 million people, about 55% of the population, need urgent assistance because of economic hardship, hunger, climate shocks and other factors. Almost 10 million people which is around a quarter of Afghanistan’s population face acute food insecurity.

Returnees face many challenges adjusting to arriving in Afghanistan, particularly younger refugees who were born in Iran or Pakistan. Many do not speak the same local languages and often lack resources and social networks. 99% of them are undocumented. Women and girls accounted for a third of returnees from Iran and about half of those coming from Pakistan.

Ziaullah, 51, an Afghan returnee at the Torkham border with Pakistan, told Islamic Relief:

“I’m originally from Kunduz province (in northern Afghanistan) and I’m travelling back there, but I don’t have a place to stay. I was at home [in Pakistan] when announcements were made in the mosques at night telling us to return to our own country. I had to quickly gather all I could. In very difficult conditions and at high cost I managed to find a truck to carry our possessions. Now I’m staying at the Torkham temporary camp (at the border crossing) and I’m confused, not knowing where to go next. 

“It has been very difficult. We are in a poor condition — we left most of our property behind in Pakistan. We have no proper shelter, not enough food, and no clear idea about our future. My family is tired and worried, especially the children and elderly. I don’t know about Afghanistan; I’m not sure if I will find work there. I don’t feel at peace. All my children were born in Pakistan, and now I don’t know if there will be opportunities for education and shelter here.”

Some families returning from Pakistan were killed or affected by this month’s devastating earthquake, and many are now homeless as Afghanistan’s bitterly cold winter approaches. Islamic Relief is providing them with tents.

A recent Islamic Relief needs assessment at the Islam Qalaa border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran found 100% of returnees needed food, 68%needed a tent for shelter, and 91% said they needed to consult a doctor.

Ibrahim Ahmed Alhomdi, head of programmes at Islamic Relief Afghanistan said:

“These people are poor and are returning to Afghanistan because they have to. They would not return by choice. Why would they? Afghanistan’s economy is suffering, poverty and hunger are rife, and it is suffering a climate crisis. The government’s resources can’t cope, especially after the massive earthquakes have struck.”

The response has been further reduced by national policies. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, this month closed eight centres helping Afghan returnees because Afghan authorities were stopping its female staff from doing their jobs.

Islamic Relief is providing Afghan returnees with food, water and other services at the Torkham and Spin Boldar crossings from Pakistan and at the Islam Qalaa border crossing from Iran. It has so far distributed over 290,000 food and water kits.

Notes

*UNHCR this week reported 2.8 million people have crossed since January 2025 

In 2023 the Pakistan government ordered undocumented Afghans to leave the country and go back to Afghanistan under the ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’. The order was reiterated early this year with a deadline of the end of August given for them to leave. In conjunction the governments of Iran and Tajikistan have also ordered Afghan refugees in their countries to return to Afghanistan.

Monday 22 September 2025 – As world leaders gather in New York for the 80th UN General Assembly, we, the undersigned humanitarian organizations working in Yemen, urge urgent and decisive action to address the worsening crisis in Yemen threatening to push millions of families past the brink of catastrophe. Yemen’s crisis has stripped people down to the most basic of needs – making every day a struggle for survival.

Today over 17 million people are facing hunger, with at least 41,000 of them being at risk of experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger – the toll on children being alarmingly staggering. At least 2.4 million children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, including hundreds of thousands at risk of severe acute malnutrition – a life-threatening condition without immediate treatment. Tragically, based on known records, at least two children have already lost their lives to malnutrition in recent months. 

These figures are far from static — hunger and malnutrition are projected to worsen sharply in the coming months as aid cuts, disease outbreaks, and economic decline continue to erode families’ ability to cope. In one out of five households, someone goes a full day and night without any food at all. This includes children going to bed hungry, while parents are skipping meals so their little ones can have whatever little is available — leaving them feeling helpless as their children grow ill and severely weak. Without urgent action in the remaining months of 2025, vulnerable areas in Yemen will likely plunge into famine.

In recent weeks flash floods have torn through parts of Yemen, killing and injuring 157 people, destroying shelters, and washing away arable lands which threatens livelihoods and risks worsening hunger. More than 50,600 families, many of whom are internally displaced, have now lost their homes and sources of income to the floods.[1] 

Damaged water and sanitation infrastructure – already fragile as a result of the conflict, coupled with limited access to healthcare, continue to fuel the spread of the diseases. As of the end of July, over 58,000 suspected cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhea, with 163 associated deaths, have been reported – making Yemen one of the worst-affected countries in the world[2]. In addition, reports of dengue fever cases indicate concerning rise compared to 2024 figures. Epidemiological surveillance and response efforts are further hampered by the lack of funding, meaning the true scale of the outbreak is likely far higher than the reported figures. Women and girls continue to be disproportionately impacted.

This situation is forcing vulnerable and marginalized families and communities to adopt negative coping mechanisms such as early marriages, taking children out of school and child labor. Together with reduction in services, adoption of such strategies has long term implications for the future generations of Yemen.

The regional tensions, continue to spill over into Yemen, destabilizing the country and further worsening the humanitarian situation. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure remain widespread, with over 880 civilian casualties reported so far in 2025,[3] alongside extensive damage to critical infrastructure.

Aid workers – the lifeline for millions – face constant threats. The recent round of detention targeting UN staff members, along with previous detentions of humanitarian staff since June 2024 and prior, has escalated risks and deeply obstructed lifesaving assistance.

The 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan is severely underfunded, standing at only 18 per cent as of early September – the lowest level of funding for the country’s appeal in a decade. Out of the 19.5 million people in need, the appeal was already only intended to assist 10.5 million,[4] but current funding levels mean that even the vast majority of those will be leftwithout planned assistance. The situation has forced humanitarian actors to make impossible choices, often described as taking food from the hungry to feed the starving. 

Despite the immense challenges, hope remains as aid organizations continue reaching 3.7 million people each month – constituting less than 35 per cent of those targeted – with food, water, healthcare, protection, shelter, and cash assistance[5]. This demonstrates our commitment and ability to deliver aid where it is needed. We stand ready to reach far more people in crisis and to support the people in Yemen to recover and rebuild their lives, if funding is scaled up to meet the immense needs.

Yemen is at a breaking point. The international community must act decisively:

• Scale up humanitarian funding: Donor governments must urgently provide sufficient resources to ensure that food, health, water, and protection programs continue without interruption for those in need.
• Centrality of protection is ensured in all interventions, with adequate funding for protection–related services.
• Link humanitarian aid with resilience and development: Donor governments and policymakers must ensure that immediate relief is paired with efforts to strengthen livelihoods, services, and recovery systems, laying the groundwork for long-term development and breaking Yemen’s cycle of recurring needs.
• Protect civilians and civilian infrastructure: Member states should call for all parties to respect international humanitarian law, refrain from attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Civilians are not a target.
• Use diplomatic leverage to protect aid workers: Member states and regional actors should press for the immediate release of detained aid workers and advocate for unhindered movement of humanitarian personnel and supplies.
• Reinforce commitment to peace: Member states should sustain diplomatic efforts to support the UN peace process and ensure Yemen is not forgotten as global and regional agendas compete for attention.

Yemen’s people cannot endure further suffering. The time to act for Yemen is now. Urgent, coordinated action at UNGA 80 is essential to save lives and prevent a deeper humanitarian catastrophe.

Signed by:

• Action Contre la Faim (ACF)
• Action for Humanity International
• ADRA
• Al Khair Women Association
• AlMamoon Foundation for Development
• Arab-European Center for Human Rights and International Law (Oslo)
  CARE
• Caritas Poland in Yemen
• CIVIC
• Concern Worldwide
• Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
• Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe
• Dorcas
• Enqath Foundation for Development EFD
• FARHM Network for Development and Peace
• Field Medical Foundation (FMF)
• Geneva Call
• Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion
• Helpcode
• Humanitarian Aid and Development Organization (HAD)
• International Medical Corps
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• INTERSOS
• Islamic Help UK
• Islamic Relief Worldwide
• Light Foundation for Development
• Medglobal Yemen
• Mercy Corps
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
• NPA
  OXFAM
• Polish Humanitarian Action
• Première Urgence Internationale (PUI)
• Rafd Al-amajad Foundation for Development
• READ Foundation UK – Yemen (RFY)
• Relief International (RI)
• Saferworld
• Save the Children
• Secours Islamique France (SIF)
• Social Development – Hodeidah Girls Foundation
• Super Novae
• Triangle Generation Humanitaire
• Union of Social Charitable and Developmental Associations and Foundations
• War Child Alliance
• Wings of Peace Charitable Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response

Appointment ensures operational continuity as Board finalises new CEO selection.

BIRMINGHAM, UK – Islamic Relief Worldwide today announced that Nadeem Malik, currently Managing Director of the Humanitarian Academy for Development (HAD), has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer effective October 2025. The current CEO, Waseem Ahmad, will complete his term at the end of September.

The appointment comes as the Board of Trustees finalises its search for a new CEO to lead the global humanitarian organisation. Coming in as interim CEO, Nadeem will bring extensive experience from the charity, statutory and private sectors.

Nadeem Malik commented: “I look forward to working with my fellow Directors and all Islamic Relief staff to continue serving our rightsholders with excellence. With my colleagues I aim to oversee an orderly transition of the organisation into the capable hands of the new CEO. During this time I will continue in my role as Managing Director of the Humanitarian Academy for Development.”

Haroun Atallah, Chair of Islamic Relief Worldwide’s Board of Trustees, said: “Nadeem brings valuable experience in organisational leadership and development that will serve Islamic Relief well during this transition period. His commitment to strengthening civil society organisations and deep understanding of our sector make him ideally placed to maintain our momentum whilst we complete the appointment of our new CEO.”

Outgoing CEO Waseem Ahmad commented: “I have every confidence that Nadeem will provide the steady leadership Islamic Relief needs during this transition. His experience and values align perfectly with our organisation’s mission, and I know our incredible team will continue to deliver life-saving work under his guidance. I remain committed to supporting Islamic Relief as we move into this exciting new chapter.”

Waseem Ahmad will continue to support the Islamic Relief Trustees, the interim CEO and the future CEO.

-ENDS-

About Islamic Relief Worldwide Islamic Relief Worldwide is a faith-based humanitarian and development organisation, supporting vulnerable communities affected by poverty, conflict and disasters. Founded in 1984, we have grown into one of the largest Muslim humanitarian organisations and last year we helped 17 million people in more than 40 countries.

Islamic Relief has deployed an emergency health team to provide critical services to survivors of an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which has killed more than 600 people and wiped out entire villages. The death toll continues to rise as rescue teams reach more areas.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Kunar province around midnight local time, when most families were asleep. Children describe being woken in terror as homes collapsed around them, and families fled in panic to try and find safety. Multiple aftershocks continued throughout the night. 

More than 600 people are already confirmed dead, and over 2500 are injured across multiple districts. The numbers keep rising as more information comes in. Many of the worst-affected areas are remote and mountainous regions. Roads have been blocked by landslides and rescuers have to reach some of the worst-hit villages by foot or evacuate casualties by helicopter.  

Ibrahim Ahmed Alhomadi, Islamic Relief’s head of programmes in Afghanistan, says: “Entire villages have been turned into mud and rubble in Kunar and the death toll is rising every hour. Thankfully, Islamic Relief’s team in the affected region is safe, and we have now deployed an emergency health team to get urgent aid to survivors. People have lost everything and desperately need healthcare, food, water, and shelter. The affected areas are remote, rural, and mountainous, and landslides and floods make it even harder to reach them. These are poor villages, and many of the homes are made from mud or flimsy materials that completely collapse.”

The Islamic Relief team on the ground is particularly responding in areas of Kunar province to provide essential health services, including mother and child healthcare, treatment of injuries, nutrition support, and addressing trauma.

The impact is particularly severe as the earthquake was very shallow, just five miles (8kms) below the surface of the earth. The response is further hampered by severe flooding that swept through Kunar and neighbouring Nangarhar provinces in the two days before the earthquake.  

The disaster comes when people in Afghanistan are already struggling to cope with widespread drought and the impact of global cuts to humanitarian aid, which have resulted in the closure of essential services such as health facilities and nutrition centres. Services in the country are also overwhelmed by the massive influx of Afghan returnees who have been ordered to leave Iran and Pakistan – more than 2.4 million people have returned this year, and many arrive in poor health and without anywhere to live. Islamic Relief has been supporting returnees when they arrive.

Islamic Relief has worked in Afghanistan for over 20 years. Last year, we supported more than 636,000 people in 20 of the country’s 34 provinces, providing aid including food, nutrition, healthcare, education, and sustainable livelihoods. In the earthquake-affected provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, we support farmers to improve agricultural production and help small businesses to thrive. Islamic Relief has also provided support in response to the earthquakes in Paktika and Herat.

Today’s official confirmation of famine in Gaza brings shame on the entire world. Every day, our team there sees more people starving to death and children turning into living skeletons before our eyes. Many more will die unless the world acts now.  

The famine is no accident – Israel is intentionally starving Palestinians to death. It is entirely man-made, caused by Israel’s cruel and illegal blockade and the complicity of world leaders who have failed to stop the daily war crimes. Never before has a famine – the most extreme and rarest form of starvation – been so widely predicted and so easily preventable, yet repeated warnings have been ignored.  

Israel has destroyed Gaza’s ability to feed itself, then blocked lifesaving aid from entering, and gunned down starving people trying to get food for their children. It has destroyed Gaza’s health system, denying malnourished people treatment.  

Truckloads of food, medicine, and other vital aid are just a few miles from starving people, but are barred from reaching them.  

Even as horrific images of emaciated children touch hearts around the world, Israel has further accelerated its attacks on civilians, continued to restrict aid, and stepped up its efforts to shut down and militarise the humanitarian response. Young children are the most vulnerable to starvation, but even aid workers and medics are now wasting away.      

In the face of relentless violence and suffering, Palestinians in Gaza have shown incredible courage and resilience, but there is a limit to what humans can endure.   

There can be no more excuses. World leaders must finally act to save lives and prevent genocide. The only way to stop this famine from spreading further across Gaza, and killing even more people, is to demand a ceasefire and pressure Israel to fully reopen all land crossings so that Gaza can be flooded with sufficient supplies. A small, temporary increase is not enough – it must be large-scale, sustained, and delivered through the UN-led system that Israel is trying to shut down.   

More paltry words of condemnation will not make any difference now. To save lives, governments must apply meaningful economic and diplomatic pressure, such as ending all arms sales, suspending trade agreements, and banning trade and investment with illegal Israeli settlements.   

Israel’s plan for a complete military takeover of Gaza is a further step towards the ethnic cleansing and starvation of Gaza, and the world must not stand by and allow it to happen. The idea that an assault that has thus far forced Gaza into famine and killed or wounded more than 200,000 people is now set to be further escalated is unfathomable. 

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has already found a plausible case of genocide in Gaza and ordered provisional measures that have been ignored – yet instead of compliance we now see plans for even greater escalation.

Today the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to fully take over Gaza City in the north of the Strip, where starvation is already above famine levels. Child malnutrition in Gaza City has almost quadrupled between May and July while Israel has cut off most humanitarian supplies, and Islamic Relief aid workers report children who are now only skin and bones and wasting away.  

Any further escalation there will inevitably kill many more people from starvation and violence, forcing many more people from their homes yet again and further restricting humanitarian access at a time when aid urgently needs to be scaled up.  

Gaza is already under Israeli occupation but this latest announcement will further entrench it. More than a year since the ICJ ruled that Israel’s occupation and annexation is illegal and must end, international governments have failed to act while Israel has tightened its grip on the territory even further. Senior Israeli officials have repeatedly stated their intention to force Palestinians out of Gaza or into confined areas that are effectively internment camps, and the Israeli military has now declared around 88% of Gaza’s territory to be off-limits to Palestinians. 

World leaders must protect the fundamental right of Palestinians to remain on their land — removing Palestinians from all or parts of Gaza amount to ethnic cleansing.  

A new assessment by Islamic Relief aid workers in drought-hit Somaliland has found alarming levels of hunger and water shortages, with rising malnutrition and up to 70% of livestock dying in some villages. 

Islamic Relief is scaling up its emergency response in the region to provide food, water and cash.  

Some of the villages covered by Islamic Relief’s assessment in Awdal and Salal regions – the worst-affected coastal areas – have had no significant rainfall for two years, and hundreds of thousands of families are now at risk. Somaliland this week declared a national emergency, and the forecast for the upcoming rainy season is extremely poor, raising fears that the situation could massively deteriorate even further. There are fears that the drought will worsen across Somalia. 

Aliow Mohamed, Islamic Relief’s Country Director in Somalia, says the assessment team found a shocking situation: 

“We found massive food shortages and harrowing signs of malnutrition, especially among children, pregnant women and elderly people. Many people are emaciated, and some have already died from hunger. Families have had to leave their homes and are walking for days in search of food and water. Children are dropping out of school as the priority is now just on survival. 

“People who used to eat three meals a day are now struggling to get just one. These communities are incredibly resilient but two years with almost no rain has pushed them to the edge. Families are sharing food with those who are even worse off than themselves, or reducing the size of their meals. The communities here depend on their livestock for food, income and transport, but in some villages more than half of animals have died and the rest are weak, forcing families into destitution and debt. 

“These communities urgently need aid to save lives and livelihoods. Islamic Relief is providing clean water, food, and cash to support local markets. But much more is needed or we will be looking at a catastrophe over the coming months.” 

In one village Islamic Relief’s assessment team found over 70% of the community’s livestock has died, while in others more than 50% have died. Goats and sheep make up most of the dead livestock, but even camels – which are extremely resilient to drought – are now perishing. 

Local water sources have dried up. In one village, Hilawle, the nearest water supply is now over 15 kilometres away. The community has organised trucks to bring in water, but it’s an expensive and temporary solution. 

Somalia is at the forefront of the global climate crisis, facing an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme climate-induced events such as droughts and floods. 

Droughts are becoming longer and more severe, destroying crops and food production and displacing people from their rural homes into overcrowded urban areas. 

Emergency aid is desperately needed now, but communities also need support with longer-term solutions to adapt and protect livelihoods and develop sustainable water systems. 

Rich and high-polluting nations that contribute the most to the climate crisis have a moral and legal responsibility to increase financing for vulnerable nations such as Somalia – but global aid cuts have undermined the response to the drought. The humanitarian response in Somalia is critically underfunded and more than halfway through the year, Somalia’s UN-led 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has only 16% of the funding it needs. 

Islamic Relief has worked in Somalia since 2006. The organisation provides emergency aid during war, floods and droughts; and supports sustainable long-term development such as constructing boreholes to improve water supply and irrigation in arid areas, supporting women-led small businesses, and helping increase farmers’ productivity.