Pope Leo XIV raises alarm over Somalia crisis, urges global aid

Pope Leo XIV used his Sunday appearance at the Apostolic Palace to draw attention to the humanitarian emergency unfolding in parts of Somalia, calling for international support for a population contending with violence, severe weather and displacement.

Speaking after the traditional Angelus prayer, the pontiff said he was monitoring the situation with deep concern, noting that recurring violence and extreme weather events are compounding already fragile living conditions, with women and children among the worst affected. He expressed hope that the international community would respond generously so that those in need do not go without essential assistance.

The appeal points to a wider deterioration in the country's humanitarian outlook. Roughly two million Somalis are currently facing emergency levels of food insecurity, a figure more than double that recorded a year earlier, according to Plan International, which says it has reached over 200,000 people in Somalia this year.

Aid capacity has meanwhile come under strain. Doctors Without Borders has urged donors, United Nations agencies and health authorities to reinstate nutrition treatment programmes after humanitarian funding to the country was sharply reduced this year. In August, the head of the World Food Programme cautioned that Somalia was moving towards another hunger crisis with considerably fewer resources available.

The U.N. food agency has reported scaling back emergency food assistance in Somalia from more than two million beneficiaries to just over 600,000 in 2026. Separately, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has projected a greater than 90 per cent likelihood of El Niño conditions forming from mid-2026 and strengthening during the October-to-December rainy season, raising the risk of severe flooding.