UN Warns of Famine Risk in Nigeria, South Sudan, Burkina Faso

UN agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, have warned that there is a risk of famine and widespread food insecurity in four countries affected by conflict - Burkina Faso, Yemen, north-east Nigeria and South Sudan - and the lives of millions of people are in danger. The report outlines a toxic combination of conflict, economic decline, climate extremes, and the COVID-19 pandemic, that is driving millions further into the emergency phase of food insecurity." But these four countries are far from the only red flag on a world map that shows that acute food insecurity levels are reaching new highs globally, driven by a combination of factors," the report notes. Another 16 countries are at high risk of rising levels of acute hunger.