The United Nations’ food agencies have warned that acute hunger is set to worsen across 13 global hot spots in the coming months, with conflict, funding shortages and climate shocks pushing millions closer to famine.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) said in a new joint report on June 17 that conditions are expected to deteriorate between June and November 2026, with around 266 million people already facing high levels of acute food insecurity, and called for urgent action.
“The warnings in this report cannot be ignored,” said WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau. “Without action now, millions more are expected to face worsening levels of hunger in the months ahead, pushing some closer to famine.”
Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and the Gaza Strip remain the hot spots of greatest concern, the report said, while Nigeria and Somalia have been newly added to that category as conditions worsen and famine risks rise. Seven other countries are also on the hotspot list: Afghanistan, Congo, Myanmar, Haiti, Mali and new additions Lebanon and Madagascar.
The agencies said conflict and violence are the main drivers of hunger in nearly all the hotspots, compounded by economic shocks, deep cuts to humanitarian funding and the expected impact of an El Nino weather pattern, which could bring droughts and floods to vulnerable regions.
They warned that additional pressures, including spillover effects from the Middle East conflict and an Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, are worsening the outlook by disrupting markets, livelihoods and aid access.
