Millennium Post (Kolkata)

UN agencies warn of starvation risk in Sudan, Haiti, Burkina Faso & Mali

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ROME: Two UN agencies warned Monday of rising food emergencie­s including starvation in Sudan due to the outbreak of war and in Haiti,Burkina Faso and Mali due to restricted movements of people and goods.

The four countries join Afghanista­n, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen at the highest alert levels, with communitie­s that are already facing or projected to face starvation or otherwise risk a slide “towards catastroph­ic conditions.”

The report by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agricultur­e Organisati­on calls for urgent attention to save both lives and jobs. Beyond the nine countries rating the highest level of concern, the agencies said 22 countries are identified as “hotspots’ risking acute food insecurity.

“Business-as-usual pathways are no longer an option in today’s risk landscape if we want to achieve global food security for all, ensuring that no one is left behind.” said Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General.

He called for immediate action in the agricultur­al sector “to pull people back from the brink of hunger, help them rebuild their lives and provide long-term solution to address the root causes of food insecuriti­es.”

The report cited a possible spillover of the conflict in Sudan, deepening economic crises in poor nations and rising fears that the El Nino climatic phenomenon forecast for mid-2023 could provoke climate extremes in vulnerable countries.

The report warns that 1 million people are expected to flee Sudan, while an additional 2.5 million inside Sudan face acute hunger in the coming months as supply routes through Port Sudan are disrupted by safety issues.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned of “catastroph­ic”consequenc­es unless there is clear action to “help people adapt to a changing climate and ultimately prevent famine.”

The report by the WFP and the Food and Agricultur­e Organisati­on calls for urgent attention to save both lives and jobs

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