Maputo, 6 Jun (AIM) – Mozambique is among the countries that are facing hunger hotspots, according to a report unveiled on Wednesday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
According to the report untitled “Hunger hotspots: FAO-WFP Early Warnings on Acute Food Insecurity”, since October 2023, Mozambique, the Central African Republic, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia have been facing hunger hotspots.
However, the report says that Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Palestine continue to register the highest level of concern and Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen are hotspots of high concern.
“All of these hotspots have a high number of people facing, or expected to face, critical levels of acute food insecurity, along with worsening factors that are expected to further exacerbate life-threatening conditions in the coming months”, reads the document.
In situations of violence, it says, “widespread displacement, the destruction of food systems and reduced humanitarian access are likely to exacerbate food availability and access.”
“Conflict and displacement continue at an alarming rate and magnitude in Sudan, exacerbating the burden on neighboring countries hosting increasing numbers of refugees and returnees, especially South Sudan and Chad”, reads the report.
The Sahel region also continues to experience ‘disturbing instability’, with the rise in violence increasing the displacement of civilians.
“The withdrawal of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in Mali, DR Congo and Somalia is expected to create security vacuums, which could be exploited by non-state armed groups, further exposing civilians to violence”, the report says.
The Horn of Africa and the conflict in Ethiopia, the document says, will continue to affect agricultural livelihoods.
“Another consequence of the conflicts is the contraction of economic growth in emerging markets and developing economies. Many countries around the world continue to struggle with high levels of debt, which prevents many governments from protecting their most vulnerable populations, and there are no clear signs of relief from the high costs of debt”, reads the note.
Hunger is also exacerbated by extreme meteorological phenomena, such as excessive rainfall, tropical storms, cyclones, floods, droughts and increased climate variability.
During the month of February, the report says, in Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, an extensive period of drought affected crops at the time when water was most needed for their development.
“The La Niña phenomenon – which corresponds to the anomalous cooling of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean – is expected to prevail between August 2024 and February 2025, significantly influencing the distribution of rainfall and temperatures”, says the study.
This phenomenon could improve agricultural prospects, but it also increases the risk of flooding in parts of South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan and Haiti, the report concludes.
(AIM)
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