An estimated 1.7 million children between 6-59 months in Somalia will likely suffer acute malnutrition in 2025, including 466,000 cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and 1.2 million Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) cases. Around 64 percent of cases are concentrated in southern Somalia. Compared to last year, GAM is expected to rise by 4 percent, while SAM will increase by 9 percent.

Between April and June 2025, malnutrition is likely to worsen due to disease outbreaks and reduced food access. Conditions are expected to deteriorate in ten areas, including West Golis, Northern and Central pastoral zones, and several IDP settlements. In 31 other areas, malnutrition will worsen but remain within the same IPC Phase, with ten locations in IPC AMN Phase 4 (Critical), including Mogadishu IDPs, Shabelle Riverine, and Juba Cattle Pastoral.

Key drivers of this deterioration include increased childhood illnesses, poor feeding and care practices, and limited access to safe water and sanitation. Flooded roads may disrupt humanitarian assistance, while funding shortages could further restrict outreach efforts, exacerbating the crisis.

• Adopt a Multi-Sectoral Approach for Nutrition Resilience: Nutrition programs in IPC Phase 3 or worse areas should integrate cash and voucher assistance, dietary diversification, and livelihood protection to address food insecurity and malnutrition. Promoting climate-smart agriculture will improve local food production and enhance household nutrition, reducing dependence on humanitarian aid.

• Expand iCCM+ to Improve Access to Underserved Communities: Scaling up iCCM+ services will increase nutrition outreach in hard-to-reach rural areas. Strengthening the link between outreach programs and fixed health facilities will ensure continuity of care for malnourished children and improve access to treatment in marginalized communities.

• Prevent Malnutrition Through Locally Available Nutrient-Rich Foods: Strengthening wasting prevention efforts should include research on locally available, nutrient-rich complementary foods under the “First Foods” initiative. Linking nutrition-sensitive cash and voucher assistance to these foods will help families access affordable, diverse diets, while nutrient-fortified food vouchers will support local markets and dietary diversity.

• Enhance Early Detection and Referral of Malnutrition Cases: Expanding mass MUAC and family MUAC screening will empower households and caregivers to detect malnutrition at home and ensure timely referrals. Scaling up realtime nutrition data dashboards will improve the tracking of screening coverage, referral efficiency, and treatment outcomes, leading to faster intervention and better monitoring of malnutrition trends.

• Improve WASH Services to Reduce Malnutrition Risks: Expanding WASH access for households vulnerable to acute malnutrition will reduce health risks linked to poor hygiene. Distributing WASH kits to nutrition beneficiaries will improve infection prevention, while behaviour change campaigns will promote safe water use, sanitation, and food handling to strengthen nutrition resilience.

• Promote Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Through Social Behaviour Change: Developing context-specific behaviour change programs will encourage optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Integrating IYCF education with food distribution, WASH, and health services will create a holistic approach, empowering caregivers to improve feeding practices, hygiene, and healthcare-seeking behaviours for better child nutrition.

• Strengthen the Integration of Nutrition Services into Public Health Facilities: To improve service sustainability and efficiency, nutrition programs should be fully integrated into existing public health facilities. Rationalizing service delivery points will optimize coverage and resource allocation, while linking outreach services and iCCM+ interventions to fixed health facilities will ensure continuity of care and comprehensive case management.