UN Report Reveals Growing Hunger Crisis Affecting Millions Across Arab and Muslim Nations
LONDON — Acute food insecurity is expected to worsen for millions of people across Arab and Muslim countries, according to a new Hunger Hotspots report by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The report highlights Palestine, Yemen, and Sudan as among the most at‑risk countries, where elevated levels of starvation and death are likely. For the first time, Lebanon was also included as a hotspot requiring close monitoring.
Conflict remains the primary driver of food insecurity, affecting 12 of the 13 hotspots identified. “Conflict destroys livelihoods, forces people to leave, disrupts markets, damages infrastructure, and restricts humanitarian access,” said Jean‑Martin Bauer, director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service.
The report warns that four hotspots Sudan, South Sudan, Gaza, and Somalia are at risk of famine. Though Gaza’s situation has improved since October, conditions “remain extremely fragile,” Bauer said.
Rein Paulsen, director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience, noted that humanitarian funding for food‑security sectors has dropped to levels last seen in 2016‑2017 even as the share of the global population facing acute hunger has doubled.
The war on Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have further worsened the crisis. Almost one‑quarter of global oil supplies and roughly one‑third of global fertilizer trade pass through the strait. “Higher fuel prices, rising fertilizer costs, increased transportation and insurance costs all of these can quickly translate into higher food prices,” Paulsen said.
Both officials stressed that the crises are foreseeable and preventable, but “the window to act is narrowing.” They called for political commitment, humanitarian diplomacy, and coordinated action to address the growing hunger emergency.
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