New YorkThe number of people suffering from catastrophic hunger will skyrocket in 2024, largely due to the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, a United Nations (UN) report revealed on Thursday.
The latest release of the Global Food Crisis Report estimates that nearly two million people now face the most critical level of food insecurity, more than double the number from the previous period.
The text confirms an extreme lack of food and exhaustion of coping capacity, while warning of a markedly increased risk of acute malnutrition and death.
Presenting the report to the press gathered at UN headquarters in New York, representatives of three of the agencies in charge described the data recorded in the Gaza Strip and Sudan as alarming, where ongoing conflicts dramatically impact the food supply of civilians.
“The nutritional situation in Gaza is one of the most serious we have ever seen,” said Victor Aguayo, director of Child Nutrition at the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The impact of the war and severe restrictions on humanitarian response have led to a complete collapse of food, health and protection systems, with catastrophic consequences, he said.
For his part, the chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Maximo Torero, estimated that more than 25 million Sudanese are facing crisis-level food insecurity or worse after more than a year of conflict.
That figure represents a 26 percent increase in the period from June to September compared to June last year, he said.
According to these estimates, the global burden of food crises increased from 90 million people in 2023 to about 99 million in the first few months of 2024.
However, the report showed some optimistic signs for reducing hunger in countries such as Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Lebanon and Afghanistan, mainly due to improved harvest results.
Experts said better financing and the provision of sustained assistance were essential to turning the situation around.
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– 2024-09-09 13:38:03
