Thirteen regions designated as "hunger hotspots" are experiencing intensified extreme hunger, with six—Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Northeast Nigeria, and Gaza—facing an immediate risk of famine without urgent humanitarian intervention, according to a joint United Nations report.
The report, issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), forecasts that acute food insecurity could worsen in these high-concern areas between June and November 2026. Conflict is identified as the primary driver behind the escalating crisis in nearly all of these regions.
Compounding the dire situation, funding cuts have significantly exacerbated the crisis. Support for food and agricultural assistance has declined by approximately 59% between 2022 and 2025, leaving an estimated 266 million people facing acute food insecurity.
"The warnings in this report cannot be ignored," stated WFP Acting Executive Director Carl Skau. The report also highlights that ongoing conflicts, such as the one in the Middle East, and health emergencies like the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, have further disrupted livelihoods, markets, and access for humanitarian aid.
FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol emphasized the need for early and scaled-up action to prevent further deterioration. In Gaza, while conditions have shown some improvement since a ceasefire in October 2025, they remain fragile, with 1.6 million people suffering from acute food insecurity. Famine risks also persist across multiple regions in Sudan, with projections indicating a rise in the number of people facing catastrophic hunger in 2026. Somalia and Northeast Nigeria are experiencing rapid deterioration due to prolonged drought, conflict, and displacement, increasing famine risks in specific areas.
