It was a year ago on April 20, when World Food Program Director David Beasley briefed the UN Security Council that widespread famines “of Biblical proportions” would take place, unless action were taken. That has come to pass. The 10 countries at the top of the list in spring 2020, according to the WFP’s April 2020 “Global Report on Food Crises”: Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria (Northern) and Haiti. (https://www.wfp.org/publications/2020-global-report-food-crises)
Now today, these very same countries remain at the top of the list of 23 nations, listed in the March 23 “Hunger Hotspots” report for the period between March and July 202, released by the WFP and Food and Agriculture Organization, as an appeal for emergency action. Here are the particulars for these nations given under the heading, “Number of People in High Acute Food Insecurity in Hotspot Countries”: The number of people are in millions for each nation: D.R.C. (19.6), Afghanistan (16.9), Yemen (16.1), Nigeria (13, in 15 states and the Federal capital), Ethiopia (12.9), Syria (12.4), Venezuela (9.3), South Sudan (7.2), Sudan (7.1), Haiti (4.4).
