Arshad Mehmood

Aconflict zone journalist

 Associated with a prestigious American news agency, The Media Line USA. 

The United Nations on Wednesday issued a stark warning that millions of people in at least 12 crisis-affected regions, including Afghanistan, Sudan, and the Gaza Strip, are facing the threat of famine.
In a joint statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) emphasized that urgent international support is needed to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
The agencies stressed that global funding for emergency food aid has fallen far short of what is required to meet the growing crises across these fragile regions.
In their joint report, the WFP and FAO listed Haiti, Mali, South Sudan, and Yemen as countries currently at immediate risk of “catastrophic hunger,” meaning famine conditions could emerge without prompt intervention.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria were classified as facing “extremely alarming” food shortages, affected not only by conflict but also by economic collapse, climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods, and disrupted food supply chains.
Afghanistan’s situation stands out as particularly severe. Years of political instability, economic collapse, and the return of Taliban rule have left the country in a state of chronic food insecurity.
According to reports from WFP and UNICEF, approximately 3.5 million children under the age of five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year.
In addition, over 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished and require urgent nutrition support.
During the period from November 2024 to March 2025, about 14.8 million people, roughly 32 percent of the country’s population, were classified under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification as being in Crisis or worse and in urgent need of humanitarian food assistance.
WFP estimates suggest that as many as 9.5 million Afghans were experiencing acute food insecurity in mid-2025.
The crisis is caused by drought, deportations, high food prices, and reduced funding. Many families are coping by reducing meals, borrowing money, selling assets, or migrating. Rural communities, children, and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition.
The WFP and FAO highlighted that of the estimated 29 billion dollars required globally to assist populations at risk of famine, only 10.5 billion dollars had been received.
Without full funding, millions remain vulnerable and humanitarian operations are constrained. FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu emphasized that preventing famine is not only a moral obligation but also a wise long-term investment in peace and stability.
He noted that food security is essential for lasting peace and that access to food is a fundamental human right.
The report also noted the role of major donor countries. The United States has historically been the largest contributor to both WFP and FAO programs, but cuts in foreign aid under the Trump administration, alongside delays or reductions from other major donors, have worsened the funding gap.
This shortfall has limited the agencies’ ability to maintain emergency operations in Afghanistan, where rapid intervention is critical to prevent mass starvation. Funding constraints led to the closure of hundreds of nutrition sites, reducing mobile health and nutrition teams by more than half compared to the previous year.
Without immediate intervention, experts warn that the humanitarian impact could be catastrophic.
Millions of families in Afghanistan may be forced to leave their homes in search of food, children risk stunted growth and life-threatening malnutrition, and entire regions may spiral into long-term instability.
Failure to act risks pushing hundreds of thousands of people from crisis to emergency hunger levels, just one step away from famine.
The latest WFP and FAO report serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of global food security. The combination of conflict, climate disasters, and economic collapse has left millions, particularly in Afghanistan, on the brink of famine. Immediate international cooperation and funding are essential to prevent loss of life, alleviate suffering, and uphold the fundamental human right to food.