Middle East War Could Cause Global Hunger to Reach All-Time High

Geneva (ANTARA) - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday (17/3) warned that the Middle East conflict could drive global hunger levels to an all-time high. “If the Middle East conflict continues until June, an additional 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger due to price increases,” said WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland. According to Skau, the conflict has caused significant domino effects on global humanitarian operations, with the WFP’s supply chains facing the most severe disruptions since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis. As violence in the Middle East enters its third week, various aid operations are experiencing longer delivery times and higher costs, Skau stated. The WFP, which operates thousands of trucks on the roads every day, is facing an 18 percent increase in delivery costs due to soaring oil prices. The agency has been forced to reduce food rations for people at risk of hunger in Sudan, and can now only assist one in four children suffering from acute malnutrition in Afghanistan, which is the world’s worst centre of malnutrition crisis. Skau also expressed concerns over disruptions to the global fertiliser market due to the “near halt” of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for a quarter of the world’s fertiliser supply. He emphasised that the surge in global food and fuel costs “could make it impossible for millions of families to afford staple foods,” and warned that import-dependent countries will be hit the hardest.