UNITED NATIONS agencies have warned of rising food emergencies including possible starvation in Sudan due to the outbreak of war and in Haiti, Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movements of people and goods.

The four countries join Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen at the highest alert levels, with communities that are already facing starvation or a slide towards catastrophic conditions.

Today’s report by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) calls for urgent attention to save both lives and jobs. 

Beyond the nine countries rating the highest level of concern, the agencies said 22 other countries are also 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,” FAO director-general Qu Dongyu said.

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 solutions to address the root causes of food insecurities.”

The report said a spillover from the conflict in Sudan could deepen the already dire economic crises in the region.

There are also growing fears that the “el Nino” climatic phenomenon forecast for mid-2023 could provoke weather extremes in vulnerable countries.

The report warns that a million people are expected to flee Sudan, while an extra 2.5m inside Sudan face acute hunger in the coming months as supply routes via 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,” Ms McCain said.