UN warns 193 million people face hunger

THE number of people facing hunger rose to 193 million last year as conflict, climate change and economic crises ravaged people’s livelihoods, the UN said yesterday.

While experts have warned that Russia’s war in Ukraine could cause famine, the FAO said in an annual report that nearly 40 million more people were pushed into “acute food insecurity” in 2021.

Among the 53 countries facing the problem, the most affected include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Yemen and Afghanistan, where millions face hunger after the country plunged into financial crisis following the Taliban takeover in 2021.

The UN noted that several countries battling major food crises obtained almost all of their wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine last year. It warned that the “outlook moving forward is not good”.