UN Report Warns of Imminent Starvation in Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali
A new joint report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), released Monday, warns that hunger is expected to worsen in 13 countries and territories over the coming months, with five of them—Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali—facing the immediate risk of starvation.
“These are communities already facing famine, at risk of famine, or confronted with catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity,” the Hunger Hotspots report said. It attributed the deteriorating conditions to a combination of conflict, economic shocks, and natural disasters, further aggravated by limited humanitarian access and chronic funding shortfalls. In Sudan alone, more than 637,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger, while the entire population of Gaza—2.1 million people—is experiencing crisis-level or worse food insecurity.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stressed the urgency of coordinated action, saying: “We must act now, and act together, to save lives and safeguard livelihoods.” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain echoed the alarm, calling the report “a red alert” and emphasizing that while humanitarian organizations have the tools and experience to respond, “without funding and access, we cannot save lives.”
Beyond the five worst-affected countries, the report also designates Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Nigeria as areas of very high concern. Other hotspots include Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria. The agencies urged swift, preemptive interventions, stressing that early action can save lives and reduce long-term food insecurity.
