• FAO and WFP highlight worsening hunger in 13 hotspots, including 8 in Africa

• Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, and DRC face risk of famine-like conditions

• Conflict, climate shocks, and economic collapse drive rising food insecurity

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) issued a joint alert on June 16, warning of rising acute food insecurity in thirteen global hotspots. Eight of the most affected countries are in Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Somalia.

The report, which covers projections from June to October 2025, cites conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related disasters as the main drivers of the crisis. These factors are compounded by shrinking humanitarian access and funding gaps.

“Hunger today is not a distant threat  - it is a daily emergency for millions,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. Several countries are experiencing food insecurity at unprecedented levels.

In Sudan, ongoing conflict, inflation, economic collapse, and mass displacement have severely limited humanitarian aid access. By May 2025, an estimated 24.6 million people could face acute food insecurity, including over 637,000 at risk of food catastrophe—the most severe level.

South Sudan remains in crisis due to chronic instability, repeated flooding, and economic decline. About 7.7 million people, 57% of the population, could face acute food insecurity by July 2025, including 63,000 already on the edge of famine.

In Mali, armed conflict in the center and north, along with surging food prices, has eroded livelihoods. Without urgent assistance, around 2,600 people could fall into food catastrophe conditions between June and August 2025.

Food security in the eastern DRC is deteriorating rapidly amid renewed violence, mass displacement, and persistent insecurity. Nigeria and Somalia continue to face critical conditions due to long-standing conflict and climate shocks.

Burkina Faso and Chad are also in severe crisis, with food insecurity driven by insecurity, erratic weather, and chronic rural vulnerability.

The FAO and WFP call for immediate international action to prevent the situation from spiraling into a broader humanitarian disaster in the months ahead.