Data from the UN Humanitarian Aid shows that at least 18 crisis locations—which are already experiencing food insecurity—may experience a “acute food insecurity” if help is not delivered quickly.
The report noted that since October 2023, Nigeria and some other countries have joined a host of others on the list of hunger hotspots where acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in the coming months.
Although many “hunger hotspots” are in Africa, fears of famine persist in Gaza and Sudan, where conflict continues to rage, fueling the regional risk of new hunger emergencies, warned the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
“Once a famine is declared, it is too late – many people will have already starved to death,” said Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director.
“In Somalia in 2011, half of the 250,000 people who died of hunger perished before famine was officially declared.
Since October 2023, the Central 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.
