ROME, Italy
Two United Nations agencies warned Monday of rising food emergencies including starvation in Sudan due to the outbreak of war and in Haiti, Burkina Faso due to restricted movements of people and goods.
 |
| South Sudan |
The four countries join
Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen at the highest alert
levels, with communities that are already facing or projected to face
starvation or otherwise risk a slide “towards catastrophic conditions.”
The report by the World Food
Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization calls for urgent attention to
save both lives and jobs. Beyond the nine countries rating the highest level of
concern, the agencies said 22 countries are identified as “hotspots” risking
acute food insecurity.
“Business-as-usual pathways
are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global
food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.” said Qu Dongyu,
FAO Director-General.
He called for immediate action
in the agricultural sector “to pull people back from the brink of hunger, help
them rebuild their lives and provide long-term solution to address the root causes
of food insecurities.”
The report cited a possible
spillover of the conflict in Sudan, deepening economic crises in poor nations
and rising fears that the El Nino climatic phenomenon forecast for mid-2023
could provoke climate extremes in vulnerable countries.
The report warns that 1
million people are expected to flee Sudan, while an additional 2.5 million
inside Sudan face acute hunger in the coming months as supply routes through
Port Sudan are disrupted by safety issues.
WFP Executive Director Cindy
McCain warned of “catastrophic” consequences unless there is clear action to
“help people adapt to a changing climate and ultimately prevent famine.”
“Not only are more people in
more places around the world going hungry, but the severity of the hunger they
face is worse than ever,” McCain said.
No comments:
Post a Comment