The United Nations has raised the alarm over worsening acute food insecurity in Nigeria and 15 other countries, warning that millions could face famine between November 2025 and May 2026.
The warning comes in the joint report Hunger Hotspots: FAO/WFP Early Warnings on Acute Food Insecurity, produced by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The report classified Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria as “very high concern” areas, while Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen face imminent catastrophic hunger, falling under the highest IPC/CH Phase 5 category. Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the Rohingya refugee situation in Bangladesh were also highlighted as high-risk regions requiring urgent intervention.
The UN cited conflict, economic shocks, and extreme weather as the main drivers of hunger, noting that shrinking humanitarian funding could push many countries toward disaster. As of October 2025, only $10.5 billion of the $29 billion needed for emergency food assistance had been received, forcing ration cuts and suspensions of nutrition and school feeding programs. FAO warned that without immediate funding, crucial support such as seeds, livestock care, and early farming interventions would not reach communities before the next planting season.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu called for a shift from crisis response to prevention, emphasizing investment in livelihoods, resilience, and social protection. “Famine prevention is not just a moral duty, it is a smart investment in long-term peace and stability,” he said.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned that millions could starve without urgent global action. “Mothers are skipping meals so their children can eat. Families are exhausting what little they have left. We urgently need new funding and unimpeded access. Failure to act now will drive further instability, migration, and conflict,” she said.
Both agencies urged sustained investments, unrestricted humanitarian access, and strong political commitment to prevent famine, stressing that food crises are predictable and preventable with coordinated global effort.
The Hunger Hotspots report is published bi-annually under the Global Network Against Food Crises, with support from the European Union, to guide early warning and coordinated responses to food emergencies.
