Geneva, August 21 (QNA) - UNICEF warned Friday that cuts in humanitarian aid in Somalia are putting children's lives at risk, with around 1.2 million children expected to suffer from malnutrition this year. 
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said unprecedented funding cuts have forced hundreds of nutrition and health facilities to close, while other essential services, including education and child protection, are also declining. 
He noted that admissions of children to stabilization centers for severe acute malnutrition increased by 32 percent during the first six months of the year compared with the same period in 2025, largely due to cuts in preventive and community-based nutrition services. 
Elder said Somalia is facing worsening pressures, including severe drought in the north, expected flooding in the coming months, and rising fuel and fertilizer costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East. 
He warned that about 500,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous form of malnutrition, as declining funding makes it increasingly difficult to deliver life-saving assistance to those in need. (QNA)