The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn that acute food insecurity could worsen between June and November 2026 in 13 countries and territories considered “hunger hotspots.”
The main drivers are armed conflicts, economic shocks, declining humanitarian funding, and climate phenomena such as El Niño.
Areas of Maximum Concern
- Sudan: epicenter of the global crisis, with famine risk in 14 areas of Darfur and Kordofan. Nearly 19.5 million people face acute food insecurity; up to 200,000 could fall into catastrophic conditions between June and September.
- South Sudan: more than 7.8 million people in crisis or worse; 73,000 could reach the most extreme level of hunger.
- Yemen: one of the most severe scenarios, with 18.3 million people in crisis or worse, including 5.5 million in emergency.
- Palestine (Gaza and West Bank): although Gaza slightly improved after the October 2025 ceasefire, it remains at risk of famine; more than 1.6 million people need urgent assistance. In the West Bank, violence and restrictions affect agricultural livelihoods and food access.
- Nigeria (Borno State): about 34.8 million people could face acute food insecurity; 15,000 in catastrophic conditions.
- Somalia (Bay region): six million people in crisis or worse; Burhakaba faces famine risk after years of drought and conflict.
Countries of Very High Concern
- Afghanistan: consecutive droughts, high prices, and escalating conflict worsen the crisis.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: fighting in the east and massive displacements; the Ebola outbreak adds a new risk factor.
- Haiti: moved from maximum concern to very high, with limited improvements in inflation and road access, although the situation remains fragile.
Other critical hotspots include Myanmar, Mali, Lebanon, and Madagascar, where a deterioration in food security is expected.
Aggravating Factors
- Armed conflicts: main driver in 12 of the 13 hotspots.
- Economic shocks: inflation and income decline affect food access.
- Reduction of humanitarian funding: fell by 59% between 2022 and 2025, reaching levels similar to 2016-2017.
- El Niño phenomenon: droughts, floods, and irregular rains in vulnerable countries.
Magnitude of the Problem
About 266 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity in the analyzed countries.
The report also warns of new crises stemming from the conflict in the Middle East and the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
Urgent Call to Action
The FAO and WFP insist that acting early is the most effective and least costly way to save lives.
The interim executive director of the WFP, Carl Skau, emphasized: “Without immediate action, millions more people are at risk of falling into hunger over the coming months, bringing some populations closer to famine.”
The agencies call for:
- Increasing humanitarian aid.
- Ensuring safe access to affected populations.
- Supporting agricultural livelihoods.
- Strengthening community resilience.
The semi-annual report from the FAO and WFP is a clear warning: acute hunger threatens to intensify in multiple regions, from Africa to the Middle East and Asia.
The combination of conflicts, economic crises, and climate phenomena demands a rapid and coordinated international response to prevent these emergencies from becoming large-scale humanitarian catastrophes.
