Upperhill News

The United Nations has listed Nigeria and 12 other countries as hunger hotspots facing an imminent famine if urgent humanitarian interventions are not taken.

Nigeria was listed among countries of very high concern, alongside Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar.

Others include Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria.

Expressing concerns over worsening hunger conditions in several parts of the world, the UN in a new report titled ‘Hunger Hotspots’ released on Monday, under the aegies of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme, identified countries experiencing the most severe levels of food insecurity.

It warned that conflicts, economic shocks, and climate-related disasters are driving millions towards starvation.

The report said that food crises will worsen over the next five months except access to aid is urgently expanded while humanitarian operations are adequately funded.

According to the report, Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali are at the highest risk of slipping into famine-like conditions, with the UN noting that the situation in these regions has reached critical levels.

The UN agencies warned that without increased global support, the humanitarian efforts currently underway could falter due to growing insecurity and significant funding gaps.


The report noted ongoing armed conflict, displacement, inflation, and insecurity as key factors exacerbating food shortages across affected regions, including some parts of Nigeria.

UN said that although the situation in Nigeria is not yet classified as a full-blown famine, but  without sustained humanitarian access and livelihood support, millions could face catastrophic hunger in the coming months.

The global standard for officially declaring famine stipulates that at least 20 per cent of a population in a defined area must be suffering from extreme food shortages, 30 per cent of children must be acutely malnourished, and two out of every 10,000 people must be dying daily due to starvation or malnutrition-related disease.