The number of people suffering from extreme hunger is rapidly growing in various hotspots worldwide. The situation is particularly critical in Sudan, South Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, and Mali. Acute famine threatens there, according to a United Nations report.
The report Hunger Hotspots by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) cites armed conflicts, climate change, social unrest, and economic shocks as causes.
If no action is taken, millions of people in the five critical hotspots will face severe malnutrition or even death from hunger. The report predicts that the situation will escalate between June and November if measures are not taken immediately.
The report therefore calls for investments and assistance in delivering aid and food. Currently, according to the UN, this is not possible due to insecurity and funding shortages. “It’s code red,” warns WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Without funding and access to resources and the hotspots, we cannot save lives.”
There is a famine if at least 20 percent of the population in an area has extreme food shortages, 30 percent of children are acutely malnourished, and two in ten thousand people die daily from hunger, malnutrition, and disease.
Famine threatens millions of people
A famine was already detected in Sudan last year. The crisis will certainly continue there in the coming months as a result of the conflicts in the country and the number of displaced people. Almost 25 million people are at risk there, writes the UN. In South Sudan, 63,000 people may face famine.
In Gaza, nearly half a million people will be at risk of famine by the end of September. Due to the ongoing attacks and blockade by Israel, the 2.1 million residents of the Gaza Strip face acute food insecurity.
Gang violence in Haiti has displaced thousands of people from their homes. There, 8,400 people are facing catastrophic famine, the UN states. If no action is taken in Mali, famine threatens 2,600 people by the end of August.
The UN is also very concerned about Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria.