UN warns hunger could surge in 13 hotspots as famine risk grows

UN food agencies FAO and WFP say acute hunger will worsen in 13 hot spots this year, with Gaza still fragile despite improvement and regions in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and Sudan facing heightened famine risk. About 1.6 million people were acutely food insecure earlier this year (roughly 77% of those analyzed). The agencies urge swift, coordinated international action to scale up aid and protect livelihoods, warning that without intervention millions more could face catastrophic hunger by year’s end. The United States has recently renewed funding to WFP and UNICEF to help respond.