In the current period (March to April 2025), an estimated 12.6 million people (27 percent of the total population of 46 million people) faced high levels of acute food insecurity classified in IPC Phase 3 and above (Crisis or worse) and are in urgent need of humanitarian food assistance. Of these, about 1.95 million people (4 percent of the total population) are classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and around 10.64 million people (23 percent of the total population) are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). The situation is mainly driven by a fragile economy, a significant cut in humanitarian assistance compared to 2024, and environmental disasters, notably flooding and drought. An improvement is expected during the projection period (May to October 2025), with an estimated 9.52 million people (21 percent of the population) classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). This includes 1.6 million people (4 percent of the total population) classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and around 7.93 million (17 percent of the total population) classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). The significant expected improvement between May and October, which also coincides with the harvest season, is due to key factors including the compounded positive effect of humanitarian assistance, including both food assistance and agricultural support to the most vulnerable families, favourable climate conditions, and more agricultural labour opportunities.

• Scale up food assistance efforts to address significant food consumption gaps. Despite recent improvements, needs remain high, particularly during the lean season and in areas facing year-round shortfalls.
• Expand emergency agriculture interventions targeting the most vulnerable households and link them with Basic Human Needs (BHN) programming to improve food availability and access.
• Link food assistance and agricultural support to nutrition, while targeting the most vulnerable populations, to enhance dietary diversity and mitigate chronic food insecurity, ultimately improving nutrition outcomes for at-risk populations.
• Prioritise support to women-headed households who face barriers to free movement and employment, both for food assistance and agricultural activities.
• Strengthen monitoring and preparedness for the ongoing influx of returnees from Pakistan and Iran to ensure timely and appropriate response.
• Scale up livestock protection through targeted animal feed and health assistance in areas facing severe fodder shortages. Packages combining animal feed, supplements, and basic veterinary care supplies are essential to prevent livestock losses, protect livelihoods, and sustain household food and nutrition security.
• Promote climate-resilient agriculture through drought-tolerant crops, water-saving technologies, rainwater harvesting, and climate-smart practices. Strengthen access to climate advisories for the agriculture stakeholders and reinforce livestock health systems, including disease surveillance and vaccination.
• There is a need to conduct Seasonal Food Security Assessment – SFSA household survey to assess the impact of positive and negative factors on food security outcomes.