UN flags Nigeria, others as hunger hotspots amid global food emergency
Nigeria is among 16 countries where millions of citizens are facing starvation due to conflicts, economic shocks, and collapsing humanitarian aid, the United Nations has said.
Nigeria is among 16 countries where millions of citizens are facing starvation due to conflicts, economic shocks, and collapsing humanitarian aid, the United Nations has said.
According to a joint report released Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, and the World Food Programme, WFP, hunger levels are rising sharply in the named countries already battered by violence and climate extremes, even as funding shortfalls have forced aid agencies to scale back life-saving interventions.
The report ranked Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as facing the most imminent risk of famine, while Nigeria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, and Syria were listed among countries of “very high concern.” Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh also made the list.
The Executive Director, WFP, Cindy McCain in his report said, "We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries. Failure to act will only drive further instability, migration, and conflict.”
The FAO also warned that a lack of funding was threatening farming activities critical to food stability, urging support for seeds, fertilisers, and livestock health services “before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur.”
According to the agencies, humanitarian funding has dropped to dangerously low levels, with only $10.5 billion provided out of the $29 billion required to feed and support at-risk populations this year.
The WFP said it had already cut food assistance to refugees and displaced persons in several countries and suspended school feeding programmes in others.
Nigeria, which has been battling high inflation and insecurity, remains one of the countries most exposed to worsening hunger, even as the UN agencies warned that without urgent support, millions of Nigerians could slide deeper into food crisis in the coming months.
The report ranked Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as facing the most imminent risk of famine, while Nigeria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, and Syria were listed among countries of “very high concern.” Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh also made the list.
The Executive Director, WFP, Cindy McCain in his report said, "We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries. Failure to act will only drive further instability, migration, and conflict.”
The FAO also warned that a lack of funding was threatening farming activities critical to food stability, urging support for seeds, fertilisers, and livestock health services “before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur.”
According to the agencies, humanitarian funding has dropped to dangerously low levels, with only $10.5 billion provided out of the $29 billion required to feed and support at-risk populations this year.
The WFP said it had already cut food assistance to refugees and displaced persons in several countries and suspended school feeding programmes in others.
Nigeria, which has been battling high inflation and insecurity, remains one of the countries most exposed to worsening hunger, even as the UN agencies warned that without urgent support, millions of Nigerians could slide deeper into food crisis in the coming months.
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