Famine today is not a distant threat – it is a daily emergency for millions. In five countries, the situation is particularly critical, writes Aleteia.org.
Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Mali and Haiti are at imminent risk of famine, says a new report by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization, which are part of the United Nations.
The report found that more than half of Sudan's population faces “high levels of acute food insecurity“ as conflict rages in the region.
Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria were labeled “very high concern”, while Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia and Syria were also noted as countries with the potential for widespread famine and food insecurity.
For Palestine, the likelihood of famine in the Gaza Strip is increasing as large-scale military operations hamper the ability to delivering vital food and non-food humanitarian assistance. In addition to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, high food prices, combined with depleted livelihoods and a trade blockade, will accelerate economic collapse.
In South Sudan, political tensions, along with environmental factors and economic problems, mean that about 57% of the population is “projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity“.
Of these, about 63,000 people are expected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity. While the majority of the countries identified in the report as hunger hotspots are in Africa or the Middle East, one of them, Haiti, is in the Caribbean. The report says that the combination of “record levels of gang violence and insecurity“ leads to displacement of people and “limited access to aid“.