The United Nations has raised alarm over worsening food insecurity in Nigeria and 15 other countries, warning that millions of people are at risk of famine between November 2025 and May 2026.
This was revealed in a new joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) titled “Hunger Hotspots: FAO/WFP Early Warnings on Acute Food Insecurity.”
According to the report, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria have been classified as areas of “very high concern,” while Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen face an imminent threat of catastrophic hunger—the highest level on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC/CH Phase 5).
The UN agencies identified conflict, economic shocks, and extreme weather events as the main drivers of hunger, warning that dwindling humanitarian funding could push several countries to the brink of catastrophe.
Four additional areas—Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh—were also listed as high-risk zones requiring urgent global attention.
The report noted that as of October 2025, only $10.5 billion of the $29 billion needed for emergency food assistance had been received, leading to ration cuts and the suspension of key nutrition and school feeding programmes.
FAO warned that without immediate support, vital agricultural interventions such as seed distribution, livestock care, and early farming assistance would not reach vulnerable communities before the next planting season.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu urged the international community to prioritise prevention over reaction.
“We must move from reacting to crises to preventing them. Investing in livelihoods, resilience, and social protection before hunger peaks will save lives and resources. Famine prevention is not just a moral duty, it is a smart investment in long-term peace and stability,” he said.
Similarly, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that millions could face starvation if the world fails to respond swiftly.
“Mothers are skipping meals so their children can eat. Families are exhausting what little they have left as they struggle to survive. We urgently need new funding and unimpeded access. A failure to act now will drive further instability, migration, and conflict,” she said.
Both agencies called for renewed global attention, increased investment in resilience, and unrestricted humanitarian access to conflict-affected regions.
They stressed that famine remains both predictable and preventable—but only through strong political commitment, adequate funding, and coordinated global action.
The biannual Hunger Hotspots report, produced under the Global Network Against Food Crises with support from the European Union, serves as an early warning guide for timely and coordinated responses to food emergencies worldwide.
