ROME: The United Nations food agencies warned on Thursday of deadly hunger levels in 16 “hunger hotspots” in coming months, with the Palestinian territories, Mali, Sudan and South Sudan, and Haiti facing the most critical conditions.
According to a joint report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), urgent humanitarian intervention is essential to prevent further starvation and deaths between November 2024 and May 2025.
The report emphasizes that armed conflict is the primary driver of acute food insecurity in these regions. In other areas, extreme weather events, economic instability, and high levels of debt are exacerbating food shortages, with many governments unable to provide adequate responses.
“Without immediate humanitarian efforts and concerted international action to address severe access constraints and advocate for de-escalation of conflict and insecurity, further starvation and loss of life are likely,” the report stated.
Other areas of “very high concern” include Nigeria, Chad, Yemen, Mozambique, Myanmar, Syria, and Lebanon, where conflict either drives or aggravates food scarcity. According to the report, declining humanitarian aid is intensifying the crisis, with 12 global appeals facing funding shortfalls of over 75%, affecting major hotspots like Ethiopia, Yemen, Syria, and Myanmar.
In the Gaza Strip, the recent surge in violence has raised fears of a potential famine. The report estimates that nearly 41% of Gaza’s population, or 876,000 people, will face emergency levels of hunger from November to April, while 345,000 will endure catastrophic levels. Nearly 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza since mid-October, the report noted.
In Sudan, where conflict has forced massive displacement, famine is imminent for hundreds of thousands in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp. South Sudan is experiencing one of the most drastic surges in food insecurity; the number of people facing starvation has nearly doubled since last year, with expectations that the crisis will worsen during the upcoming lean season.
The Caribbean state of Haiti is grappling with extreme hunger levels amid deepening economic crises and hurricane activity, while Mali’s food security has deteriorated sharply. Since the United Nations ended its peacekeeping mission there in 2023, armed groups have imposed blockades, restricting humanitarian access to essential aid.
The report details how conflict disrupts food supply chains far beyond immediate crop and livestock destruction. “Conflict forces people to flee their homes, disrupting livelihoods and income, limiting market access, and resulting in price fluctuations and erratic food production and consumption,” the report said.
On top of conflict, environmental challenges may exacerbate hunger crises in some regions, as extreme weather events driven by a potential La Niña phenomenon could lead to severe downpours, droughts, and heatwaves, the agencies warned.
