Starvation alert: UN highlights regions including Nigeria, at risk of severe food insecurity

Severe food insecurity is expected to worsen significantly in 13 critical regions over the next several months, with five countries at imminent risk of famine, according to a new United Nations report released on Monday, June 16, 2025.

The report, titled Hunger Hotspots, was jointly published by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

It warns that conflict, economic instability, and climate-related disasters are the main drivers pushing populations in several nations to the brink of starvation.

According to the report, Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali are currently the most severely affected.

People in these five countries face what the UN described as “extreme hunger” and could begin to die in significant numbers unless urgent international assistance is delivered.

The forecast covers the next five months and highlights the urgent need for both funding and safe access for aid organizations, which have struggled due to insecurity and financial shortfalls.

The authors stress that without decisive action, conditions in these regions will rapidly deteriorate, putting millions of lives at risk.

Warnings from UN Officials

“The findings of this report are stark: hunger is not a distant or abstract issue, it is an immediate emergency affecting millions across the globe,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.

He emphasized the importance of a coordinated and immediate global response to prevent further loss of life and livelihoods.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain echoed this urgency, describing the report as “a red alert.”

She stated, “We know where hunger is getting worse, and we know who is at risk.

“But without funding and humanitarian access, our hands are tied.

“We simply cannot save lives.”

What Constitutes a Famine?

According to UN criteria, famine is declared when:

• at least 20 percent of a population faces extreme food shortages,
• 30 percent of children are suffering from acute malnutrition, and,
• at least two out of every 10,000 people are dying each day due to starvation or related diseases.

Conditions in the Five Worst-Affected Countries

In Sudan, which already saw a famine declared in 2024, the crisis is expected to persist due to ongoing internal conflict and mass displacement.

The report estimates that as many as 25 million people in the country are now at serious risk of hunger.

In South Sudan, a combination of severe flooding and political instability could push up to 7.7 million people into food crisis conditions.

The report indicates that 63,000 already experiencing famine-like conditions, the report noted.

In Palestine, the Israeli military offensive and blockade on Gaza have pushed the entire population of 2.1 million people into acute food insecurity.

It is said that nearly 500,000 at risk of famine by the end of September, according to projections.

Haiti, plagued by escalating gang violence and lawlessness, now has 8,400 individuals facing catastrophic levels of hunger, and the number continues to grow as thousands are displaced from their homes.

In Mali, conflict combined with soaring grain prices is pushing about 2,600 people toward famine conditions by the end of August.

This reportedly highlights the country’s vulnerability in the face of overlapping crises.

Other Countries of Concern

According to the report, the five countries above are at the highest level of alert.

On the other hand, it also identifies Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Myanmar as areas of very high concern, where deteriorating food security remains a critical issue.

Additional nations flagged include Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria, where continued conflict, displacement, and climatic extremes are exacerbating hunger conditions.

A Call for Early Action
The report stresses the importance of preemptive and early intervention, stating that timely humanitarian aid not only saves lives but also reduces long-term food insecurity by preserving essential livelihood assets and household resilience.

In a small sign of progress, the report notes that conditions have improved in some countries. Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been removed from the hunger hotspots list, indicating relative stabilization in food security in those areas.

Nevertheless, the overall outlook remains dire, with the FAO and WFP urging immediate global action to prevent another wave of humanitarian disasters driven by avoidable hunger.

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