Pope Leo XIV Urges More International Aid for Somalia Crisis

Pope Leo XIV prayed the Angelus at the Vatican on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, and appealed for international aid to Somalia. "With great concern, I am following the humanitarian crisis unfolding in certain areas of Somalia," he said, noting violence and extreme weather exacerbate conditions particularly for women and children, and hoping the international community provides necessary assistance. Fighting earlier this month in and around Baidoa destroyed structures and displaced civilians after government forces responded to an attack by fighters loyal to former South West state president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, backed by al-Shabab. WFP head Carl Skau told AP in late August that 6 million Somalis face acute food insecurity; the agency has only a tenth of its 2022 resources, when it helped avert famine. "We can only do the bare minimum," he said, limiting nutrition supplies to the worst-hit children. Iran-backed Houthis captured a key Yemeni port and island earlier this month, spurring Somali businessmen to seek new routes amid insecurity around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which carries more than 10% of global trade. U.N. OCHA calls the crisis among the world's most complex. No left-rated coverage appeared. Center and right outlets align on these facts with no disputes reported.