By Asha Elmi - Reporter
New York, 26 August 2026 — Families displaced by conflict and drought in Somalia are again facing catastrophic hunger, the World Food Programme warned on Tuesday.
Acting Executive Director Carl Skau told the UN Security Council he saw the situation first-hand in Somalia last week.
"Waiting for a famine declaration is a total failure of duty," Skau said during a debate on food crises.
He said conflict is the world's leading driver of hunger, and the cycle between conflict and hunger is accelerating.
"Conflict is not only a consequence of hunger, it is increasingly being used as a weapon," Skau said.
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WFP listed Somalia among countries showing warning signs of worsening hunger, alongside Sudan, Gaza and Yemen, where conflict has disrupted food supplies.
Skau warned disruptions at key shipping routes including the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz could hit fuel, fertilizer and grain supplies, pushing up food prices and cutting meals for children thousands of miles from conflict zones.
The agency urged protection of civilians, farms, markets, ports and maritime corridors, and called for safe and unhindered humanitarian access.
WFP said it would continue efforts to reach people caught in conflict despite declining funding, but said humanitarian action cannot substitute for political solutions.