Hunger Hotspots: FAO and WFP map out worst hunger crisis

United Nations, New York

Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali

In their June to November 2026 report, both the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) detail the world’s worst hunger crisis, labeling Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, and Gaza as the most imminent “hunger hotspots.”

According to the report, armed conflict remains the primary driver of acute food insecurity in 12 of the 13 identified hotspots, with rising violence, displacement, and restrictions on humanitarian operations compounding already severe conditions. Humanitarian agencies warned that deteriorating security, shrinking access, and funding shortfalls are heightening the risk of famine in several regions.

The agencies stressed that conflict-induced displacement has reached unprecedented levels, noting that 117.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as of June 2025. Those movements, coupled with disruptions to agricultural production and damaged infrastructure, have overwhelmed host communities and undermined access to food.

Sudan remains among the gravest concerns. Under a worst-case scenario, a risk of famine has been identified in 14 areas across North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan, with nearly all those localities expected to remain at risk through January 2027. Fighting is anticipated to intensify further, while disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict are expected to fuel food inflation and deepen the country’s economic crisis. Approximately 19.5 million people, representing 41 percent of the population, were estimated to face high levels of acute food insecurity through May 2026.

In neighboring South Sudan, the report projected that 7.8 million people, or 55 percent of the population, would face crisis-level hunger or worse between April and July 2026. A credible risk of famine persists in several countries under scenarios involving renewed violence and further restrictions on humanitarian access. Acute malnutrition among children continues to worsen, with an estimated 2.2 million children between six and 59 months affected.

The report further warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is producing far-reaching consequences for global food systems. Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have driven up fuel and fertilizer prices, increased transportation costs, and strained humanitarian supply chains. International fuel prices rose by 40 percent month-on-month in March 2026, while fertilizer shortages have placed additional upward pressure on food prices worldwide.

Countries already grappling with severe food insecurity, including Sudan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, are particularly vulnerable to those economic shocks. Rising import costs, currency volatility, and declining purchasing power are expected to exacerbate existing crises.

Meanwhile, humanitarian funding has continued to decline sharply. Assistance to food-security sectors in crisis contexts has fallen by an estimated 59 percent since 2022, returning to levels last seen in 2016 and 2017 despite a growing number of people facing acute hunger. As of June 2026, only one-third of global humanitarian funding requirements had been met.

FAO and WFP emphasized that modern famines are largely “human-made,” describing them as both foreseeable and preventable. The agencies warned that waiting until famine conditions are officially declared represents “a failure of foresight,” urging governments and humanitarian actors to intervene before conditions deteriorate further.

“Timely intervention at these stages is not only life-saving but also cost-effective,” the report stated, warning that by the time famine is formally declared, “it is too late for many.”