By Ngala Killian Chimtom
Jan 13, 2026|Africa Correspondent
Somali woman and child, file photo, 2022. Image credit: Caritas Internationalis
As more than 4.6 million people in Somalia are reeling from one of the worst droughts in decades, the executive director of Caritas in the war-torn and ecologically ravaged Horn of Africa country says the protracted humanitarian crisis is reaching a critical tipping point.
Converging factors have created the crisis: a climate emergency intensified by recurring cycles of failed rains, decades of conflict, and ongoing political instability.
In an exclusive interview with Crux, Sara Ben Rached of Caritas Somalia described the nation’s plight as “among the most complex in the world.”
Rached told Crux the crisis is being dramatically worsened by the recent suspension of U.S. government assistance, which has crippled the humanitarian response just as needs are escalating.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has a plan for humanitarian needs and assistance, but Sached says the plan is only 26% funded, and warns that without immediate, flexible funding, the situation will deteriorate from a crisis to a “catastrophic” one, forcing more families into displacement and pushing entire regions into emergency levels of hunger.
Crux spoke with Rached recently, and here shares the Q&A, edited for length and clarity.
Crux: How would you describe the humanitarian situation in Somalia today?
