Nigeria has again been listed among countries facing fast-worsening hunger emergencies, following a fresh alert issued by two United Nations food agencies that warned of an impending rise in famine-level conditions across several regions.
In a joint briefing, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme raised concerns that mounting conflicts, forced displacement and shrinking humanitarian funding were pushing millions closer to starvation. The agencies placed Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen in the highest danger category, noting that their populations face what they described as “an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger.”
Nigeria, along with Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia and Syria, was highlighted as a country of “very high concern,” a classification often seen as a signal that current conditions could slide into a humanitarian disaster if rapid intervention is not secured. Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya and the Rohingya refugee settlements in Bangladesh were also listed.
WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain, cautioned that the world is moving towards a crisis that is entirely avoidable. “We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries,” she said. She added that failure to scale up support “will only drive further instability, migration and conflict.”
The report revealed that global humanitarian agencies are battling a huge financial shortfall. Out of the $29 billion required to support at-risk populations this year, only $10.5 billion has so far been received. This gap, the WFP said, has already forced painful decisions, including cutting food rations for refugees, reducing assistance for displaced communities, and suspending some school feeding programmes.
FAO also expressed worry that the weakening of support to farming communities could worsen food shortages in the long term. According to the agency, safeguarding seeds, livestock and basic agricultural inputs is critical to stabilising production. It stressed that funding must reach farmers “before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur.”
