UN Warns Acute Hunger Will Worsen in 13 Global Hotspots as Famine Risks Rise

The United Nations' food agencies warned on Wednesday that acute hunger is set to worsen across 13 global hotspots in the coming months, with around 266 million people already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) released a joint report indicating that conditions are expected to deteriorate between June and November 2026, driven primarily by conflict and violence, compounded by economic shocks, deep cuts to humanitarian funding, and the anticipated impact of an El Niño weather pattern that could bring droughts and floods to vulnerable regions.

Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip remain the hotspots of greatest concern, while Nigeria and Somalia were newly added to the list as conditions worsen and famine risks rise. Seven other countries also appear on the critical list: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Haiti, Mali, Lebanon, and Madagascar. Additional pressures, including spillover effects from the Middle East conflict and an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, are worsening the outlook by disrupting markets, livelihoods, and aid access. WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that without immediate action, millions more would face worsening hunger levels in the months ahead.

Humanitarian funding has declined sharply, dropping approximately 59 percent since 2022 even as needs have surged dramatically. The WFP's appeal for more than $10 billion for 2026 remains severely underfunded. However, there was a modest positive development when the United States pledged $800 million to the WFP on Tuesday, which the agency said would help more than 38 million people in at least 37 countries. The U.S. also announced $218 million in assistance to UNICEF, though this came after the Trump administration's previous abolition of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had cut $60 billion in overall humanitarian assistance before being partially restored in December.

Regional assessments reveal varying levels of crisis. In the Gaza Strip, conditions have improved since an October 2025 ceasefire but remain fragile, with approximately 1.6 million people—roughly 77 percent of the analyzed population—facing acute food insecurity earlier this year, including more than half a million at emergency levels. Yemen continues to host one of the world's worst food security crises, with the largest population facing emergency or catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Specific regions face imminent famine threats, including Nigeria's Borno state, Somalia's Burhakaba district, South Sudan's Jonglei and Upper Nile states, and multiple regions in Sudan including North Darfur, South Darfur, and South Kordofan.

The FAO and WFP called for swift, coordinated international action to scale up aid, protect livelihoods, and prevent further deterioration. The agencies warned that without immediate intervention, millions more could face catastrophic hunger in the months ahead, emphasizing that the warnings in the report cannot be ignored.