FAO and WFP Warn Hunger Could Worsen Across 13 Global Hotspots
The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme have warned that acute food insecurity is expected to worsen in 13 countries between June and November 2026, identifying Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine as the most critical hotspots by severity and scale.
Nigeria has moved into the report’s highest-concern group. Around 34.8 million people there are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity between June and August 2026. That total includes about 1.8 million people projected to face Emergency-level food insecurity and roughly 15,000 people in Borno State projected to face Catastrophe-level conditions.
The warning was issued through the Global Network Against Food Crises, a partnership involving the two United Nations food agencies and other organizations. It focuses on countries where conflict, displacement, climate stress, disrupted markets and shortages of funding could deepen hunger in the months ahead.
Projections point to severe pressure in Nigeria and Somalia
The Nigeria figures are projections for a defined period, not final counts. Conditions can change as conflict, rainfall, prices, access to affected communities and aid delivery change.
Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria, is singled out for the projected Catastrophe-level food insecurity affecting about 15,000 people. The report’s placement of Nigeria among the highest-concern countries means the deterioration is expected to be substantial enough to require close attention during the June-to-August period.
Somalia also faces a large projected burden. About 6 million people are expected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity between April and June 2026, including nearly 1.9 million people at Emergency level.
The projections for Nigeria and Somalia cover different time periods from the report’s broader June-to-November 2026 outlook. Together, they show how the timing and scale of hunger risks vary by country, while placing particular emphasis on the need to identify deteriorating conditions before they become more severe.
Conflict and economic shocks add pressure
Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine were classified as the most critical hotspots by both severity and magnitude. The warning does not declare famine across all of those locations. Instead, it identifies where acute food insecurity is expected to worsen and where the combination of risks is most serious.
An Associated Press report citing IFAD President Alvaro Lario described progress against global hunger as fragile. Lario warned that conflict and disruptions in energy markets could push millions more people into hunger. Higher fuel and fertilizer costs can add pressure to food prices, increasing the difficulty of producing and moving food.
Those pressures can compound the effects of displacement and insecurity. In places affected by conflict, people may lose access to farms, markets, jobs or humanitarian assistance. Climate stress and poor access can further limit the ability of households and aid organizations to respond. The FAO-WFP warning links the risks rather than attributing the projected changes to a single cause.
What happens next
The report gives governments and aid agencies a time window for targeting food, nutrition and livelihood assistance in the countries at greatest risk. The projections are intended to identify where early action may be most important during the specified periods.
For Nigeria, the immediate projection window runs from June through August 2026. For Somalia, it runs from April through June. The broader hotspot assessment covers June through November 2026, giving officials and humanitarian organizations a framework for prioritizing attention as conditions develop.
The scale of the warning is global, but its consequences will be experienced locally: by families facing food shortages, by communities displaced by conflict and by aid agencies trying to deliver help amid financial and logistical constraints. The agencies’ central message is that worsening hunger in these hotspots remains a forecast, but one that identifies where timely assistance could matter most.
Sources
- New FAO-WFP report warns worsening hunger puts 13 hotspots at significant risk, Food and Agriculture Organization
- New FAO-WFP report warns worsening hunger puts 13 hotspots at significant risk, World Food Programme
- Conflicts and energy shocks threaten progress against global hunger, UN agency head warns, Associated Press
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