UN food agencies warn hunger could worsen in 13 hotspots

The United Nations’ food agencies are warning that acute food insecurity could worsen across 13 countries and territories between June and November 2026, as conflict, funding shortages, economic shocks and disrupted humanitarian access put millions at greater risk.

The FAO-WFP Hunger Hotspots outlook, published June 17, identifies Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Palestine as the locations of greatest concern by the severity and magnitude of hunger. Nigeria and Somalia were newly added to that highest-concern category.

The report is an early warning, not a declaration of famine across all 13 hotspots. It projects where food access could worsen during the forecast period and points to conditions that could either deepen or limit the crisis.

Conflict remains the main driver

FAO and WFP say conflict and violence are the leading drivers of hunger in nearly all the hotspots. Fighting can displace families, interrupt planting and harvests, damage markets and make it dangerous or impossible for aid agencies to reach people in need.

In Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and the Gaza Strip, those pressures are compounded by fragile local economies, market disruptions and restricted or disrupted humanitarian access. The agencies also cite reduced humanitarian funding and economic shocks as factors that can push households from food insecurity into emergency conditions.

Weather risks could add another layer of pressure. The outlook treats the possible effects of an El Niño weather pattern, including drought or flooding in vulnerable areas, as projected risks rather than confirmed outcomes.

Nigeria and Somalia newly elevated

The report places Nigeria and Somalia alongside the four existing highest-concern hotspots. The locations specifically identified as facing a threat of famine between now and November include Nigeria’s Borno state and Somalia’s Burhakaba district.

Similar risks are identified in South Sudan’s Jonglei and Upper Nile states and in Sudan’s North Darfur, South Darfur and South Kordofan regions. The specific risks vary by location, but the common pressures include violence, restricted access, economic stress and vulnerable food systems.

A separate report confirms continuing famine risk

The separate Global Report on Food Crises 2026, published July 2 by FAO, WFP and the Global Network Against Food Crises, provides broader context. It says two famines were confirmed in 2025, in parts of the Gaza Strip and Sudan, and that famine risk persists in the Gaza Strip, Sudan and South Sudan during 2026.

The finding does not mean that every person in those places faces the same level of need. Conditions can differ sharply between regions and communities, particularly where fighting, prices, aid access and local supply routes vary.

What could change the outlook

The agencies are calling for rapid humanitarian financing, protected access for aid workers, support for livelihoods and functioning local food markets. Funding is a central concern: the Associated Press reported that financing for food assistance and related programs has fallen about 59% since 2022, even as needs have grown.

For U.S. and English-speaking readers, the warning matters beyond the immediate humanitarian toll. Prolonged food crises can affect migration, regional stability, international diplomacy, aid budgets and the reliability of local and regional supply chains. But this is not a prediction of a general worldwide food shortage. It is a warning that hunger is likely to worsen in specific conflict-affected and climate-vulnerable places unless governments, donors and parties to conflict act before conditions deteriorate further.

Sources

• WFP: Hunger Hotspots — June to November 2026 outlook
• FAO: Hunger Hotspots publication record
• Associated Press report on the 13 hotspots