That reports the World Food Programme, the organization of the United Nations (UN) that last month won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Some 45 million people in 43 countries are now on the brink of acute famine. In 2019, 27 million people were balancing on the brink.
According to the organization’s estimates, there are up to 811 million people worldwide without adequate food.
‘Emergency’
“Fuel prices are rising, food prices are skyrocketing, fertilizers are more expensive,” said David Beasley, director of the World Food Programme.
“All of this is fueling new crises, such as the one currently unfolding in Afghanistan, but also the long-standing emergencies in countries such as Yemen and Syria.”
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Afghanistan and Syria
Beasley visited Afghanistan, where 23 million people now need food aid. That is 3 million more than last year. But also in countries such as Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya and Burundi the number of people who are starving is increasing.
In Syria, for example, 12.4 million people are in need of food aid, more than at any time since the country’s civil war began a decade ago.
Combat
According to the organization, the cost of fighting an acute famine worldwide is now at 7 billion dollars. That was $6.6 billion earlier this year.
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