The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday it would be forced to suspend life-saving food assistance in Somalia by April unless new funding is secured, putting millions at risk of worsening hunger.

The agency said an estimated 4.4 million people in Somalia face acute food insecurity, including around one million experiencing severe hunger, driven by poor rainfall, conflict and declining humanitarian funding.

“The situation is deteriorating at an alarming pace,” Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, said in a statement.

“Families have lost everything, and many are on the brink. Without immediate emergency food support, conditions will rapidly worsen,” he added.

Somalia declared a national emergency over drought in November after consecutive seasons of below-average rainfall.