• FAO and WFP list Sudan, Nigeria, DR Congo, and others as hunger hotspots through Oct. 2025
• Armed conflict, climate shocks, and shrinking aid access driving severe food insecurity
• Some countries show signs of resilience through reforms, peace talks, or leadership change

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) issued a joint report on June 16, warning of worsening food insecurity across the globe. The document highlights 13 hunger hotspots where urgent action is needed between June and October 2025. Among them are eight African countries, namely Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Somalia.

“This report makes it very clear: hunger today is not a distant threat – it is a daily emergency for millions,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

According to both UN agencies, this crisis is mainly driven by prolonged or escalating armed conflicts, repeated economic shocks, and natural disasters. These challenges are being made worse by growing restrictions on humanitarian aid access and a severe lack of funding. In South Sudan alone, up to 7,700,000 people could face acute food insecurity by July 2025.

In Mali, armed violence in central and northern areas, combined with the soaring cost of basic food items, has made it harder for people to survive. Nigeria and Somalia are also dealing with deep insecurity and climate-related shocks that disrupt agriculture, markets, and food supplies.

Burkina Faso and Chad are facing their own pockets of severe food insecurity. The root causes include ongoing security instability, unpredictable weather, and the fragile living conditions of rural populations, many of whom depend on subsistence farming and limited market access.

DR Congo, recently reclassified as one of the world’s hunger hotspots, is experiencing fast deterioration in food access due to violent clashes in the eastern region. Fighting between government forces and the M-23 rebel group has triggered large-scale displacement, further disrupting access to food, farmland, and aid.

While the FAO and WFP are calling for urgent action, the report also notes that some countries have made efforts in recent years to strengthen food resilience and support vulnerable populations. Burkina Faso and Nigeria, for example, have launched programs to boost local food production and promote food independence, even in areas struggling with security threats.

In DR Congo, current peace negotiations could bring an end to fighting in the coming months, potentially opening the door for recovery efforts. Meanwhile, in Sudan, the recent appointment of a new prime minister to lead a transitional government raises hope for a more effective national response to the country’s humanitarian crisis.

Despite these encouraging signs, both UN agencies warn that the situation remains fragile. Without a sharp increase in funding and improved access for aid workers, hunger will likely grow even worse across these regions before the end of 2025.