UN hunger hotspots Nigeria Mali
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), two key United Nations agencies, have issued a stark warning that 16 countries around the world are now classified as “hunger crisis hotspots,” with Nigeria and Mali included on the list.
The report, titled “Hunger Hotspots: FAO/WFP Early Warnings on Acute Food Insecurity,” covers the period from November 2025 to May 2026. In this assessment, Mali is listed among the countries facing the highest level of concern, indicating an “imminent risk of catastrophic hunger,” while Nigeria is classified as a country of very high concern, where conditions are rapidly deteriorating.
The underlying drivers of these alarming classifications include ongoing conflicts, severe economic shocks, extreme weather events, and a sharp shortfall in humanitarian funding. For example, the agencies note that only US $10.5 billion of the required US $29 billion for emergency food assistance had been raised by the end of October 2025.
In Nigeria’s case, acute food insecurity is driven by persistent insecurity, high inflation, weakened livelihoods and disrupted food supply chains, particularly in conflict‑affected regions. For Mali, prolonged conflict in the Sahel region and access constraints for humanitarian aid have pushed segments of the population towards catastrophic hunger.
The FAO and WFP have repeatedly emphasised that such hunger crises are predictable and preventable—but only if early action is taken, funding is secured and aid reaches the most vulnerable communities before conditions spiral further.
