Mogadishu, Somalia – United Nations agencies in Somalia have dismissed more than 680 employees since early 2025, officials stated, blaming acute funding shortages for humanitarian and development programs.
Sources familiar with the situation report that the cuts encompass 158 international personnel and 522 local Somali workers. Prominent agencies hit include UNICEF, WFP, FAO, and UNFPA, alongside UNDP and various smaller UN branches.
These personnel reductions stem from a sharp drop in global donor backing, with key funding channels like U.S. assistance via USAID halted or reassigned. Somalia has traditionally depended on such aid for relief efforts and developmental projects.
The budget deficit has deepened as contributors divert funds to emergencies in Ukraine, South Sudan, and Syria, hampering UN entities in Somalia from obtaining reliable program financing.
Experts caution that lacking fresh funding avenues, UN organizations could encounter major hurdles in sustaining critical humanitarian assistance and development operations nationwide, endangering at-risk communities reliant on them.
