MOGADISHU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned that chronic funding shortfalls have crippled humanitarian efforts in Somalia, forcing vital nutrition programs to scale back or close.
The charity expressed deep disappointment over Britain's decision to significantly reduce official development assistance, warning that the healthcare system in Somalia, already struggling under relentless demand, risks total collapse as outbreaks and complications surge.
"Without immediate and sustained support, thousands of children face not only starvation but also weakened immunity, increased vulnerability to diseases, and irreversible developmental harm," the MSF said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Early this year, U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a freeze on foreign aid, including U.S. Agency for International Development programs, with refugees in the Global South bearing the brunt.
The MSF said that even before Britain's announcement of a drastic reduction to its international aid budget, the needs of vulnerable people impacted by conflict, disease, and hunger had already far outstripped the available funding.
It said the looming threat of a La Nina-driven drought in 2025 could push the already vulnerable communities to the brink.
"The healthcare system, already struggling under relentless demand, risks total collapse as outbreaks and complications surge," the MSF said, urging London to "act now, before the 2025 drought strikes." ■
