Acute food insecurity will increase in 18 ‘hunger hotspots’, aid agencies warn
Although many “hunger hotspots” are found in Africa, fears of famine persist in Gaza and Sudan, where the conflict continues to rage, fueling the regional risk of new food crises, warned the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP).
“Once a famine is declared, it is too late – many people will have already died of starvation.said Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director. “In Somalia in 2011, half of the 250,000 people who died of starvation died before famine was officially declared. The world failed to heed the warnings of the time and the repercussions were catastrophic. We must learn our lesson and act now to prevent these hotspots from unleashing a famine storm.”
The early warning report in partnership with the UN agency, which covers 17 countries and the drought-stricken group of Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, warns that Mali, Palestine, Sudan and South Sudan remain at the highest alert level and require the most urgent attention. Haiti was also added to this list amid escalating violence and threats to food security.
Focus on South Sudan
South Sudan’s ongoing devastating food crisis is so severe that the number of people facing starvation and death is expected to almost double between April and July 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
“Tightening domestic food supplies and sharp currency depreciation are causing food prices to skyrocket, compounded by likely flooding and recurring waves of subnational conflict,” the report explains, referring to South Sudan. “An expected further increase in the number of returnees and refugees from Sudan is likely to worsen acute food insecurity among new arrivals and host communities. »
Chad, Syria and Yemen also in the spotlight
Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen are also hotspots of “high concern,” the report notes.
“A large number of people” in these countries face critical acute food insecurity, coupled with worsening factors expected to further intensify life-threatening conditions in the coming months.
Since October 2023, the Centrale African Republic, Lebanon, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia joined Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia and Zimbabwe on the list of hunger hotspots, where acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in the coming months.
Climatic extremes remain
Although conflict remains one of the main drivers of food insecurity, the joint WFP-FAO early warning report highlights that climate shocks are also responsible, including the “still persistent” El Niño phenomenon.
Even though this meteorological phenomenon is now coming to an end, “it is clear that its impact has been severe and widespread”, insist the authors of the report, highlighting the devastating drought in southern Africa and considerable flooding in East Africa.
Let’s move on to the potential impact and “imminent threat” of La Niña between August and February 2025, UN agencies estimate that this should influence precipitation “significantly”. This could lead to climate change with “major implications” in several countries, including flooding in South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Chad, Mali and Nigeria, as well as Sudan.
Prevent starvation and death
These two weather phenomena could cause new climate extremes “that could disrupt lives and livelihoods”, warns the report in partnership with the UN, in support of calls for immediate and large-scale humanitarian action “to prevent further of famine and death.
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