International bodies in Somalia
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Somalia
The International Committee of the Red Cross first worked in Somalia in 1942 and has been there permanently since 1977. It has 12 offices, works with the Somali Red Crescent Society, visits detainees and reunites families. OCHA records US$40.4 million of humanitarian funding to the ICRC in 2024.
What it does
The ICRC says it first carried out work in Somalia in 1942 and has kept a permanent presence since 1977 (ICRC). It is a neutral, independent humanitarian organisation whose mandate comes from the Geneva Conventions. In Somalia it reports:
- emergency help, including cash assistance;
- support for people to earn a living again, for example fishing as a new source of income during drought;
- visits to people in detention;
- restoring contact between separated family members;
- promoting and monitoring respect for international humanitarian law (ICRC).
Where it works
Work with the Somali Red Crescent
The ICRC says it works alongside the Somali Red Crescent Society to help people affected by "decades of armed conflict and climatic shocks" (ICRC).
The money
OCHA's Financial Tracking Service (FTS) records humanitarian funding that donors and agencies report to it. It is not the whole budget of an organisation, and recent years are still being filled in. FTS lists these amounts received by the ICRC for work in Somalia (OCHA FTS):
| Year | Humanitarian funding recorded (US$) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 40.4 million |
| 2025 | 25.8 million |
| 2026, to November | 15.1 million |
The same figures for 212 organisations are on this site's aid funding list.
What it reports
On 13 October 2026 the ICRC warned that El Niño flood risks could bring further hardship to millions in Somalia. Its Galmudug head of office has described people displaced both by fighting and by drought (ICRC).
How to use it
People looking for a missing relative can ask the ICRC or the Somali Red Crescent for help through the family links service (ICRC).
Sources
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Garoowe (Garowe) and NugaalNugaal is the region around Garoowe (Garowe), Puntland's capital, with about 656,910 people in three districts.
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
- Dhuusamarreeb (Dhusamareb) and GalgaduudGalgaduud is a region of central Somalia in Galmudug State, with Dhusamareb (Dhuusamarreeb) as its capital and about 845,000 people.
- Beledweyne (Belet Weyne) and HiiraanHiiraan is a region of Hirshabelle State on the Shabelle river, with Beledweyne as its capital and about 505,000 to 598,000 people.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Xuddur (Hudur) and BakoolBakool is a region in South West State, on the border with Ethiopia, with Xudur (Hudur) as its capital.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Every aid organisation funded in Somalia, 2024 to 2026: UN agencies and NGOs by money receivedA directory of every UN agency, international NGO, Somali NGO and other body recorded as receiving humanitarian funding for Somalia in 2024, 2025 and 2026, with the amounts from the UN Financial Tracking Service and a CSV download.
- International bodies in Somalia: the UN, the African Union, the World Bank and the IMFWhich international bodies work in Somalia, what each does, how the UN presence changed in 2024 to 2026, and Somalia's own seats in world bodies.
- UNICEF in Somalia: what it doesWhat UNICEF does in Somalia: its offices, staff and partners, who leads it, the funding it receives, and what it reports about child malnutrition in 2026.
- World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia: what it doesWhat the World Food Programme does in Somalia: food and cash aid, Baxnaano, school meals, UNHAS flights; who leads it; funding 2024 to 2026; and what it reports about hunger in 2026.
- FAO in Somalia: farming, livestock, fisheries and the FSNAU and SWALIM data unitsWhat FAO does in Somalia: staff, offices and projects, who leads it, funding 2024 to 2026, and what it reports doing in 2026.
- OCHA in Somalia and the Somalia Humanitarian FundWhat OCHA does in Somalia: coordination, the 2026 aid plan, the Somalia Humanitarian Fund, who leads it, and its funding 2024 to 2026.