FAO and WFP identify 13 'hunger hotspots,' warn four face famine risk and urge urgent action

FAO and the World Food Programme presented the June 2026 Hunger Hotspots report and warned that 13 countries or territories are at elevated risk of acute food insecurity between June and November 2026, with four—Sudan, South Sudan, the Gaza Strip and Somalia—flagged as places where a famine is possible in a plausible worst‑case scenario.

"These crises are foreseeable, they're predictable, and the worst outcomes can be prevented," Jean‑Martin said during the briefing from Rome, adding that "the window to act is narrowing." He and FAO colleagues said conflict, economic shocks and climate extremes are interacting to deepen needs and restrict humanitarian access.

Rein, director of FAO for Emergencies and Resilience, told reporters that conflict remains the primary driver in 12 of the 13 hotspots and that climate variability and economic shocks are compounding risks. He singled out regions vulnerable to supply‑chain disruptions related to the Middle East crisis and noted that "nearly one‑quarter of global oil supplies and roughly one‑third of global fertilizer trade pass through the Strait of Hormuz," a chokepoint whose disruption could raise costs and delay assistance.

The report groups hotspots by tiers of concern. Jean‑Martin listed the highest‑concern group as Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, the Palestine territories (Gaza), Nigeria and Somalia. A separate 'very high' tier includes Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti; Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali and Myanmar were also named as hotspots requiring close monitoring.

FAO and WFP warned that humanitarian funding shortfalls and cuts to assessments and monitoring are making it harder to prioritize and reach the most vulnerable. Rein said cuts are creating a "data drought" that risks making vulnerable communities invisible to decision makers.

Why it matters: the agencies stressed that timely funding and protected humanitarian access can prevent the worst outcomes. Rein urged four immediate priorities: protect civilians and guarantee humanitarian access (respecting international humanitarian law), keep acute food insecurity and malnutrition high on political agendas, invest in early warning and anticipatory action, and urgently scale up funding for food assistance, emergency agriculture and nutrition support.

The briefing noted recent changes since the prior edition of the report: Nigeria and Somalia were added to the highest‑concern group, Haiti moved into the very‑high category, and Lebanon and Madagascar were newly flagged for hostilities and adverse weather impacts respectively.

The agencies called for international political commitment and coordinated humanitarian‑development‑peace action to prevent livelihoods collapsing and to avoid lives being lost. The briefing concluded with a public Q&A in which agency officials reiterated that shortfalls in funding and constraints on access are the main obstacles to preventing famine risks from materializing.