UN warns of famine threat in global 'hunger hotspots' due to conflict and climate crises
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A new report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that hundreds of thousands are at risk of famine due to intensifying conflicts, economic instability, and extreme weather events.
Released on Thursday, the report highlights that food insecurity is expected to worsen in 16 “hunger hotspots” across 14 countries and two regions over the coming months.
The most critical areas include Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Mali, and the Palestinian territories, where people face near-famine conditions. Other regions of high concern, where millions are experiencing severe food insecurity, include Chad, Lebanon, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Syria, and Yemen.
The FAO-WFP report stresses that ongoing conflicts are primary drivers of food crises, disrupting food systems, forcing population displacement, and restricting humanitarian aid access. Sudan’s internal conflict is expected to further escalate, risking increased mass displacement, worsening hunger, and affecting neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.
The UN report also underscores that escalating violence in Palestinian territories has created unprecedented needs, nearly displacing the population entirely and elevating regional risks. In Lebanon, an intensifying conflict is pushing the need for humanitarian aid to unprecedented levels.
The impact of climate change is compounding these crises, particularly as extreme weather events such as La Niña are forecasted to persist into March 2025, bringing cooler ocean temperatures that could disrupt rainfall patterns. While La Niña might benefit agriculture in some regions, it could also result in flooding in countries like Nigeria, Mozambique, South Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, according to the report.
This latest update also adds Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, and Niger to the list of hunger hotspots, citing climate extremes as a driving factor.
The FAO and WFP are calling for urgent, coordinated international action to prevent further escalation of these crises, reduce dependency on emergency aid, and tackle the root causes of food insecurity through long-term solutions.