Armed conflict

UN: 5 Nations Face Famine Risk Amid Funding Cuts

JUN 17 2025·Updated JUN 18 2025

Story

Above: A woman collects food at a location set up by a humanitarian organization to distribute meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan on Jan. 9, 2025. Image credit: AFP via Getty Images

The Facts

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme released a joint report on Monday, identifying Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali as facing an immediate risk of famine, with communities already experiencing or at risk of catastrophic levels of food insecurity. The report blamed conflict, economic shocks, and climate-related hazards for driving extreme hunger conditions that could lead to starvation and death without urgent humanitarian intervention.
Reuters
Fullview
Newsroom
In Gaza, the entire population of 2.1 million people faces crisis levels of food insecurity according to the report, with nearly 500,000 projected to face catastrophic conditions by September. Sudan has maintained a confirmed famine status since 2024, with almost 25 million people at risk, while South Sudan is expected to see 7.7 million people in crisis, with 63,000 facing famine-like conditions.
Al Jazeera
Africa
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced Monday it was forced to scale back global aid plans from $44 billion to $29 billion due to what officials called the "deepest funding cuts ever," with only $5.6 billion received by mid-year. The Trump administration's decision to slash foreign aid contributions has led the U.N. refugee agency to terminate 3,500 jobs and reduce workforce costs by 30%.
Dw.Com
Barrons
Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and Nigeria are classified as hotspots of very high concern, requiring urgent attention. Meanwhile, Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria represent additional areas of deteriorating food security conditions. The report projects a serious deterioration of acute food insecurity across 13 countries and territories over the next five months, with humanitarian access significantly hampered by insecurity and bureaucratic impediments.
GulfToday
AA
For famine to be officially declared, at least 20% of an area's population must suffer extreme food shortages, with 30% of children acutely malnourished and two people per 10,000 dying daily from starvation or related diseases. Haiti faces escalating gang violence that has displaced thousands, with 8,400 already experiencing catastrophic hunger, while Mali confronts conflict and high grain prices, putting 2,600 people at starvation risk by August.
Reuters
UN News
Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been removed from the hunger hotspots list due to improved climatic conditions and a reduction in the intensity of military operations. However, U.N. agencies warn these gains remain fragile.
GulfToday
Africa

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Brutal funding cuts are creating a humanitarian catastrophe that will cost millions of lives across the globe's most vulnerable populations. The international community is abandoning its moral obligation to prevent mass starvation and suffering in conflict zones where people have no other lifeline. These cuts represent a failure of global solidarity when it's needed most.

ReliefWeb

Better World Campaign

Narrative B

The funding crisis stems from the lack of global fiscal responsibility, as large donor nations face their own economic challenges and must prioritize domestic needs. Trump's foreign aid cuts reflect America First policies that ensure taxpayer money addresses urgent problems at home rather than funding inefficient international bureaucracies.