Nearly 45 million more face hunger as Middle East conflict threatens global food supply

Nearly 45 million more face hunger as Middle East conflict threatens global food supply

Nearly 45 million more face hunger as Middle East conflict threatens global food supply

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The UN World Food Programme warns nearly 45 million more people could face acute hunger this year if the Middle East conflict continues, with sub-Saharan Africa and Asia most exposed to rising food and fuel costs

Nearly 45 million people could face acute hunger this year if the Middle East conflict persists, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. This would add to the 318 million people already struggling to access sufficient food worldwide.
The agency identifies countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, and parts of Asia as the most at risk due to their heavy reliance on food and fuel imports. Projections indicate that food insecurity could rise by as much as 24 per cent in some regions.
“When the Ukraine war began in 2022, triggering a global cost-of-living crisis, hunger reached record levels with 349 million people affected,” WFP analysts said on Tuesday.

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The WFP noted that the potential impact of the current Middle East conflict could be comparable. It warned that families already struggling to afford basic food items may soon be unable to put any food on the table.
“If this conflict continues, it will send shockwaves across the globe, and families who already cannot afford their next meal will be hit the hardest,” WFP Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Carl Skau said.
“Without an adequately funded humanitarian response, it could spell catastrophe for millions already on the edge.”

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The agency highlighted that disruptions in global shipping—particularly a near standstill in the Strait of Hormuz and increasing risks to Red Sea maritime traffic—are already driving up the costs of energy, fuel, and fertilisers, worsening hunger far beyond the Middle East.
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia remain especially vulnerable because of their dependence on imports.
The WFP projects that food insecurity could increase by 21 per cent in West and Central Africa, 17 per cent in East and Southern Africa, and 24 per cent in Asia.
In Sudan, which imports about 80 per cent of its wheat, rising prices could push more households into hunger.
In Somalia, already dealing with severe drought, the cost of some essential commodities has risen by at least 20 per cent since the conflict began, according to local reports.
The WFP noted that both countries already face high levels of food insecurity and have experienced famine in recent years.
It also warned that its programmes are constrained by severe funding shortfalls, forcing the agency to prioritise assistance and leaving some vulnerable populations without support.
Without increased funding, the WFP cautions that further rises in food insecurity could have catastrophic consequences, particularly in the world’s most at-risk countries.
Regional projections of additional people at risk of acute food insecurity (IPC3+) show sharp increases across multiple continents, underscoring the global scale of the crisis.
In Asia, analysis of 10 countries suggests that about 9.1 million more people could face severe hunger—a 24 per cent increase.
In East and Southern Africa, covering 16 countries, an estimated 17.7 million additional people could be pushed into acute hunger, representing a 17 per cent rise. West and Central Africa, based on assessments from 12 countries, may see 10.4 million more people at risk, a 21 per cent increase.
In the Middle East and North Africa, 5.2 million additional people across 12 countries are projected to fall into food insecurity, a 14 per cent rise.
Meanwhile, Latin America and the Caribbean, spanning three countries, could see 2.2 million more people facing acute hunger—an estimated 16 per cent increase.

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