Federal government: ministries and agencies
SoDMA, the Somalia Disaster Management Agency: droughts, floods and emergency aid
The Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) is the federal body that leads the response to droughts, floods and other disasters, coordinates aid with the member states and international agencies, and runs the National Emergency Operations Center. It began during the 2011 drought, was set up in law by Law No. 17 of 27 June 2016, and has been an autonomous agency since August 2022. Its commissioner is Mohamud Moallim Abdulle.
What it does
SoDMA is the federal government's lead body for disasters. Its own profile lists its core jobs (SoDMA, Institutional Profile, January 2026):
- coordinating disaster risk management across the country;
- running the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC);
- emergency preparedness, contingency plans and coordinating early warning;
- coordinating the humanitarian response with UN agencies and aid groups;
- collecting disaster information and situation reports;
- recovery, resilience and risk reduction programmes;
- writing disaster policy in line with national and international frameworks.
When drought worsened, the federal leadership told all government agencies to work through SoDMA, which SONNA described as the only official body coordinating aid and disaster response (SONNA).
Its history
- 2011: created by the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government during the 2010 to 2011 drought and famine (SoDMA). See the Gu and Deyr rains for how badly the Deyr of 2010 failed.
- 27 June 2016: Law No. 17 formally established it, after a presidential decree and approval by the Federal Parliament (SoDMA, Institutional Profile).
- 2017 to 2022: it worked under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management (same source).
- August 2022: the government made it an autonomous federal agency again, and the ministry was abolished, with SoDMA taking over its legal duties (same source; SoDMA).
- 5 February 2026: the Council of Ministers approved a regulation for a national fund for disaster risk management. In June 2026 SoDMA began consultations on how the National Disaster Risk Management Fund will work (SONNA).
- 2026: a new National Disaster Management Policy was under review. The commissioner said it makes the cash safety net that expands in a shock part of the national response (SONNA). See Baxnaano: Somalia's safety net.
How it is organised
Its departments are (SoDMA, Institutional Profile):
- Office of the Commissioner
- Administration and Finance
- Human Resources
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Humanitarian
- Recovery and Resilience
- Research, Training and Capacity Building, with a Center for Disaster Research and Capacity Building
- the National Emergency Operations Center
- an Aid Diversion Prevention and Accountability Unit
- a Logistics and Supply Chain Unit
Leaders: Mohamud Moallim Abdulle is commissioner; SoDMA's reports in 2026 name Dr Ahmed Abdi Aadan as deputy (SoDMA).
Criticism
- December 2022: the agency said it was close to running out of food stocks during the drought response (Somali Disaster Management Agency, Wikipedia).
- May 2025: the governor of Hiiraan said SoDMA had delivered expired COVID-19 supplies instead of medicines, and in Moqokori SoDMA was reported to have claimed delivery of 133 boxes of medicine where 12 boxes of out-of-date supplies arrived. Hirshabelle State then suspended cooperation with SoDMA (same source).
- Capacity: observers say the agency has limited funding and staff for the size of the droughts and floods it must answer. It joined the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) in 2023 (same source).
How to use it
- National emergency number: 449 (SoDMA). Police: 991.
- Help after a flood or drought: SoDMA works through the member states' own disaster agencies and district authorities. Ask the district office which programmes are running.
- Data: SoDMA publishes situation updates and a weekly forecast on sodma.gov.so. FAO's SWALIM and FSNAU publish river levels and food security warnings. See International bodies in Somalia.
Its legal basis
Law No. 17 of 27 June 2016 establishing the agency; the 2022 government decision making it an autonomous federal agency; the 2026 regulation on the National Disaster Risk Management Fund.
Sources
- SoDMA, Institutional Profile, January 2026 · sodma.gov.so
- SONNA · sonna.so
- SoDMA · sodma.gov.so
- SONNA · sonna.so
- SONNA · sonna.so
- SoDMA · sodma.gov.so
- Somali Disaster Management Agency, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
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Where this matters
Same era
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