WFP: Middle East conflict driving millions into hunger

The Middle East conflict is pushing millions of people closer to hunger, as rising ‌fuel and transport costs drive up food prices while funding shortfalls force aid agencies to scale back assistance, the U.N. World Food Programme said on Friday.

Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February triggered a regional conflict stretching across the Gulf and into Lebanon, disrupting key shipping routes, ​including the Strait of Hormuz, forcing vessels to reroute and sharply constraining global energy flows and supply chains.

In March, the ​WFP forecast as many as 45 million people could fall into acute food insecurity if oil ⁠prices remained around $100 per barrel through June. That scenario is now unfolding, the agency said, with benchmark crude prices staying ​above that level since early March.

Households in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka are among the most seriously affected and face mounting ​pressure due to higher fuel costs, food price spikes, income losses and disrupted trade.

In Somalia, 6.5 million people – roughly a third of the population – are expected to face severe hunger in 2026, while Afghanistan could see 17.4 million people affected, the WFP said. The situation is projected ​to worsen, with an additional 2.5 million Somalis and 2.3 million Afghans at risk of falling into food insecurity if ​disruptions persist. Both countries are reliant on imported energy and food.

FOOD SHORTAGES TO HIT VERY VULNERABLE CHILDREN

The Middle East crisis comes amid a ‌deep ⁠funding shortfall for aid agencies. The WFP said it expected to serve 1.5 million fewer people globally in 2026, and 9 million fewer if the situation persists for six months.

In Somalia, supplies of nutritious food for children under 5 suffering from moderate malnutrition will run out as soon as July, as the WFP faces an 89% funding gap in the country.

“We ​are running out of food. ​The food is not available ⁠for distribution, and the ones who will experience the impact of this are going to be very vulnerable children,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, the director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis ​Service.

The situation is being worsened by supply chain issues, with fewer ships stopping ​in Somalia because ⁠of disruptions which have affected shipping in the Indian Ocean.

Some WFP stocks have also been held up in Salalah Port in Oman, causing critical delays. Soaring jet fuel prices are also leading to higher operational costs for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service – the ⁠only ​means to safely access hard-to-reach areas, the WFP said.

In Afghanistan, surging fuel prices ​have driven up aid transport costs as much as fivefold, and delivery times have shot up from 10 days up to as many as 75 days ​as trucks had to use alternative corridors, the WFP said.

 The Thomson Reuters