UN warns El Niño could push 50 million into acute hunger by next year

The United Nations’ latest food‑security outlook warns that conditions are set to deteriorate in 45 countries currently classified as experiencing severe food insecurity. Forecasts indicate that the rapidly developing El Niño weather pattern could push an additional 50 million people into acute hunger before the end of next year, compounding an already dire situation across vulnerable regions.

The surge in hunger risk comes on top of hundreds of millions who are already confronting dangerous levels of food scarcity, a crisis driven by prolonged droughts in parts of Africa and heightened food‑price pressures linked to the ongoing war in Iran. The UN urges governments and humanitarian agencies to accelerate assistance and strengthen resilience measures to avert a further escalation of the global hunger emergency.