Acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate across 16 countries and territories, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) said, urging urgent humanitarian action in the locations flagged as “hunger hotspots.”

In their latest Hunger Hotspots early-warning outlook, FAO and WFP said Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Mali and Haiti remain at the highest concern level, requiring “the most urgent attention.” Yemen has been elevated to the same category, as parts of the population are projected to face Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) outcomes, a classification that includes famine, risk of famine, and populations already in catastrophic conditions.

The agencies said armed conflict and violence remain the dominant driver, affecting 14 of the 16 contexts, including every hotspot of highest concern.

Beyond conflict, FAO and WFP pointed to continued global economic fragility, high debt burdens and uneven recovery as factors expected to deepen acute food insecurity in several hotspots. They also warned that La Niña conditions, expected to persist until early 2026, could heighten risks of floods, droughts and tropical cyclones across multiple regions.

HIGHEST CONCERN HOTSPOTS

In Sudan, FAO and WFP said key drivers behind the confirmation of famine conditions are not expected to improve significantly during the outlook period, with violence continuing to escalate in conflict-affected areas and driving further displacement.

In Palestine, they said food and nutrition needs remain critical due to extensive infrastructure destruction and constraints on humanitarian operations, noting the situation also requires close monitoring given the fluid dynamics on the ground.

In Yemen, the report said ongoing conflict is triggering new displacements, disrupting supply chains and deepening economic decline amid severe humanitarian access constraints.

Other hotspots and category changes

FAO and WFP said the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria remain hotspots of very high concern, while Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic have been elevated to that category. Afghanistan has re-entered the list following its last appearance in November 2023, while Burkina Faso and Chad remain hotspots; Kenya and the situation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been added.

FAO and WFP warned that funding for food, emergency agriculture and nutrition assistance remains critically insufficient, with humanitarian coverage reduced and rations sharply cut in multiple settings—trends they said risk leaving millions without life-saving support and increasing health risks, particularly for children.