SOMALIA - Drought Conditions in Full Force

About 2 million people are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, more than double the number recorded last year, according to Plan International, which has provided assistance to more than 200,000 people in Somalia this year.

Somalia is highly vulnerable to extreme weather and has experienced repeated cycles of prolonged drought followed by destructive flooding. The shocks have eroded livelihoods, displaced communities, contributed to disease outbreaks and worsened food insecurity.

Data released in May by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring system, showed that about half of children under 5 in Somalia were facing acute malnutrition.

-apnews.com, 12 August 2026

Commentary: Somalia has not been in the news much lately since the military actions of 1993 in Mogadishu and the film Black Hawk Down in 2001.

Now that there is famine almost throughout the entire land, we are reminded of Jesus’ prophecy: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:7). In this case, it is famine, and as the report clearly shows, it’s devastating.

While most nations in the world report an over-abundance of food, the opposite has stricken the land of Somalia.

We note here that on 26 December 2025, Israel was the first country officially recognizing Somaliland as an independent, sovereign state.

Like virtually all African states, they have been subjected to colonialization by European powers. One part came under British dominance, the other under Italian control. Here we recall that on 26 June 1960, the British called for the independence of Somaliland. Just a few days later, on 1 July, the union with the Italian-administered south created a unified Somalia Republic.

While both parts are fiercely Islamic, Somaliland desperately seeks to be part of the Abraham Accords. Now that the first sovereign state has recognized Somaliland, it opens the door to membership in the United Nations.

Regardless of these various geopolitical developments, we must always keep in mind that wherever people on planet earth live, they fall under the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

A Google search reveals: “Christianity in Somalia has an ancient coastal footprint followed by centuries of Islamic dominance, a brief revival und European colonization, and a modern underground presence marked by severe persecution.”

Here again we should quote the Lord’s prophecy: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). Pray for the Church in the Republic of Somalia, and particularly in Somaliland, where—with Israel’s diplomatic recognition—doors will be opened.

(See The End of the World According to Jesus of Nazareth, Item #2424, $17.99.)