Interior Minister Opens Somalia Humanitarian Forum as Funding Gap Narrows

MOGADISHU — Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali (Hosh) opened the Somalia Humanitarian Forum (CHF 2026) in Mogadishu on Tuesday, convening government institutions, federal member states, international agencies, ambassadors and civil society to strengthen emergency preparedness and humanitarian coordination.

The forum, organised by the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), brings together SoDMA Commissioner Mahamuud Moallim Abdulle, federal and state authorities, UN agencies, local and international organisations, and humanitarian partners. Discussions focus on reinforcing early action and coordination mechanisms ahead of anticipated climate shocks.

A Forum Under Strain

The meeting comes as Somalia’s humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, launched in January, sought US$852 million to assist 2.4 million of the 4.8 million people identified as in need of lifesaving assistance. The requirement was already 40 per cent lower than the US$1.42 billion sought in 2025, reflecting a narrower, more prioritised response rather than improved conditions.

By mid-September, the plan remained less than one-third funded. As of early September, the response stood at 35 per cent funded, with US$298 million received against the US$852 million requirement. A later OCHA update placed coverage at 20.8 per cent. The funding shortfall has forced agencies to scale back operations at a time when drought conditions are intensifying across several regions.

The International Crisis Group warned in September that the humanitarian community in Somalia “stands at a critical crossroads as unprecedented funding reductions have significantly constrained the collective capacity to deliver essential and life-saving assistance.”

Preparedness for El Niño

A central focus of the forum is preparedness for the October-December Deyr rains, with climate experts warning that a strengthening El Niño could bring unusually heavy rainfall. SoDMA has placed 29 districts across 14 regions on high alert for riverine and flash flooding, with the Jubba and Shabelle river corridors identified as high-concern zones.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has highlighted a credible risk of severe flooding in these corridors if El Niño strengthens alongside a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. More than 600,000 people could be at risk, according to the UN.

Commissioner Moallim has stressed that foreseeable risks can only be mitigated through unified action and immediate, synchronised cooperation across all levels of governance and humanitarian partnership.

Critical Note

The CHF 2026 forum convenes at a moment of acute contradiction. The government is calling for strengthened coordination and early action while the resources available to act are shrinking. The response plan is roughly one-third funded, and the broader trend is one of donor retrenchment rather than expansion.

Early warning systems and anticipatory action frameworks are only as effective as the financing behind them. SoDMA has identified 29 high-risk districts and prepared alerts, but preparedness without resources translates into little more than monitoring. The agencies that would implement early action are the same ones scaling back because of funding cuts.

The forum’s emphasis on coordination and prevention is sound. But coordination among underfunded partners does not resolve the underlying gap. The government’s own acknowledgment that global humanitarian support is declining, and its calls for domestic resource mobilisation, reflect a recognition that external financing cannot be relied upon at previous levels. Whether that translates into a realistic domestic financing strategy is not yet clear.