NIGERIA: UN Sounds Alarm On Famine Risk In 16 Countries, Including Nigeria, Mali

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

The United Nations on Wednesday flagged 16 countries and territories — including Nigeria and Mali, as hunger crisis hotspots, warning that millions more people worldwide face the brink of famine amid crippling funding shortfalls and escalating conflict.

In a joint report, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) identified Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as the six areas where populations face an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger.

Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria were classified under “very high concern,” alongside Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the situation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

“We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a statement. She cautioned that inaction “will only drive further instability, migration, and conflict.”

The agencies blamed armed violence for driving acute food insecurity in most of the listed hotspots.

Humanitarian appeals are severely underfunded: only $10.5 billion of the $29 billion needed this year has been received, the report stated.

WFP has already slashed aid to refugees and displaced persons in several countries and suspended school feeding programmes due to budget cuts.

FAO stressed that agricultural support, including seeds and livestock health services, is at risk, “which are essential for stabilising food production and preventing recurring crises.” It urged donors to act “before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur.”

The UN agencies called for urgent international action to avert what they described as a preventable disaster.