US, Somalia Agency Discuss Drought Response Amid Humanitarian Crisis

By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter

Somalia, 11 December 2025 - The Chairperson of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), Mahamud Moallim Abdulle, held a meeting yesterday with the U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley, to discuss Somalia’s worsening humanitarian situation caused by the severe drought ravaging the country.

The meeting, which took place at the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, explored ways the United States can increase its humanitarian support, which had notably declined in recent years.

This year alone, the United States has contributed less than $32 million in humanitarian aid to Somalia, despite having previously been the country’s largest donor.

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The United States has provided Somalia with more than $7 billion in aid over the years, including $1.3 billion in 2022 alone. However, when Donald Trump returned Washington as president he halted much of the aid U.S. has been providing globally.

SoDMA has previously stated that the agency’s warehouses are empty and could not satisfy the growing demand for humanitarian aid in the country.

According to available data, nearly 5 million Somalis are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and the number is expected to increase as drought conditions worsen. This year, SoDMA appealed for 1.5 billion dollars to respond to the crisis but received only about $280 million.

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