Conflict, the climate crisis and economic shocks continue to drive more and more communities around the world into a hunger crisis.
That’s according to the latest Hunger Hotspots report from the UN, which listed Haiti, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Occupied Palestinian Territories as the countries with the highest level of alert.
Conflict and organised violence, in particular the increased targeting of civilians, remains the key driver of hunger around the world. And it’s set to worsen the already restricted access to food through the disruption of global markets. People fleeing their homes also have to leave behind their land and the chance to grow their own food.
Extreme weather intensified by the climate crisis, like excessive rainfall, droughts and cyclones, are also having a disastrous impact – leading to repeated failed harvests. Changing weather patterns, like the El Niño effect, means a forecast of increased rainfall and a greater risk of flooding. This is likely to have a negative impact in regions already facing severe challenges with crop production.
Governments around the world are struggling to protect their most vulnerable people due to high debt levels. And in many countries, soaring prices for things like food, energy and transport, along with weakening currencies are likely to make the situation much worse.
Hunger Hotspots: 5 countries of highest concern
Haiti
Escalating violence, the slow transition to new leadership and a long economic crisis means Haiti has been added to the list of countries with the very highest concern of hunger.
Predicted extreme rainfall, increased hurricanes and high temperatures are expected to make already critical levels of malnutrition much worse – leading to potential catastrophe.
Above average rainfall was forecast for April to June 2024, which increased the risk of flooding. And expected high temperatures mean it’s likely there will be more pest infestations which can destroy valuable crops.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Haiti
We’ve been working in Haiti since 1985. Our teams have provided food baskets, supported healthcare providers and helped to strengthen the community’s capacity to address and treat malnutrition. We’ve screened children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers for malnutrition.
During the cholera outbreak in 2022, we educated people on how to stop the disease through healthy hygiene, provided clean water, and gave treatment to those infected.
Mali
Since December 2023, 354,000 people have fled their homes in Mali. The ongoing conflict means that many more people are likely to become displaced.
Violent groups continue to create blockades, meaning food can’t be transported to local markets and aid can’t reach those who need it.
More and more people are facing critical levels of food security. And, in 2024, more than 1.4 million children are projected to be acutely malnourished.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Mali
To help communities displaced by violence in Mali, we’ve provided people with nutritious food, clean water, good hygiene and safe toilets. We also continue to run healthcare services through our mobile health clinics, and we offer mental health support to people affected by the conflict.
South Sudan
Between April and July 2024, 79 000 people were predicted to face catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity – this is almost double the number of people compared to the same period in 2023.
And by June 2024, over 1.6 million children under 5 years old and 870,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to be acutely malnourished.
Around 820 000 people are expected to enter South Sudan by the end of the year. This includes 447,000 refugees returning home from Sudan. Existing communities are already struggling to find enough food to survive due to insufficient production of food and high prices. A lack of resources to support the rising numbers of returnees from Sudan is expected to drive food insecurity in South Sudan.
Action Against Hunger’s work in South Sudan
We’re often the only aid organisation providing life-saving health and nutrition services in remote areas of South Sudan. We’ve supported more than 5,000 farmers with training and the tools to grow nutritious crops and continue to treat children and pregnant and breastfeeding women for malnutrition. We also distribute vital food baskets to families affected by floods and provide access to clean water, good hygiene and safe toilets.
Sudan
The devastating impact of conflict continues to be felt in Sudan. Since the conflict began in April 2023, 6.8 million people have been internally displaced and 1.8 million people have crossed into neighbouring countries. Since January 2024, fighting has escalated in several states.
Damage, looting and the destruction of critical infrastructure has affected the production and availability of food – making an already perilous hunger crisis worse. Sudan is increasingly dependant on food imports but the Red Sea crisis has led to rising costs and reduced availability. All this means the food crisis has deteriorated rapidly.
Around 17.7 million people now don’t know where their next meal is coming from. And, 3.7 million children are expected to be acutely malnourished – a 22% increase on the previous year.
Action Against Hunger’s work in Sudan
We’ve been working in Sudan since 2018. In 2022, we helped refugees living in Darfur and other regions through our nutrition services. We tackled malnutrition by improving healthcare systems, giving vaccinations and increasing the number of children we screened for malnutrition.
We also helped introduce early warning systems, so local communities can adapt better to extreme weather caused by climate change.
Occupied Palestinian Territories
Over 1 million people – half the population of Gaza – is expected to face death and starvation by mid-July. The ongoing conflict is wreaking havoc on Gaza – causing huge numbers of casualties and repeatedly displacing countless individuals from their homes.
The almost total blockade of Gaza is preventing lifesaving food, fuel and water from entering. Famine is an imminent threat.
Action Against Hunger’s work in the Occupied Palestine Territories
We’ve been working in Gaza since 2005 and the West Bank since 2002, so we were able to begin our response in early October. Since then we’ve reached over 837,000 people, including over 709,000 through water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes.
Our programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory include:
- entrepreneurship and economic empowerment for women and young people
- providing clean water, safe toilets and good hygiene – including in healthcare facilities
- providing cash so people can buy what they need
In Gaza, our emergency teams have been working tirelessly to:
- distribute hot meals and hygiene kits
- provide nutrition supplements to mothers and babies
- truck clean water to communities
- connect people with shelters
List of countries with very concerning levels of hunger
Since the previous report released in October 2023, the following countries have been added, or remained, on the the list of hunger hotspot countries:
- Burkina Faso
- Central African Republic
- Ethiopia
- Lebanon
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Nigeria
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
The situation in the following countries is deteriorating quickly and they’re at risk of joining the countries with the highest levels of hunger:
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Syria
- Yemen
Read the full Hunger Hotspots June-October 2024 report here.
This article was first published in January 2022 and has been updated since the publication of the latest Hunger Hotspots report in June 2024.
