5 African countries facing acute food insecurity

A growing crisis is gripping several African nations, where acute food insecurity is threatening the lives and well-being of millions of people. Factors such as climate change, conflict, economic instability, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have combined to create a perfect storm, leaving vulnerable populations in dire need of assistance.

According to the latest Global Report on Food Crises 2023 Mid-Year Update, by the World Bank, 238 million people across 48 countries confront acute food and nutrition insecurity-22 million more than in 2022, despite enhanced analysis coverage being a contributing factor.

This mid-year update does not contain statistics for the 25 countries traditionally included by the annual report (usually issued at the start of each calendar year), such as Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine, all of whom suffered substantial food security issues the previous year.

The report reads in part, "Nine countries experienced an increase in acute food insecurity since 2022. Sudan was particularly affected, with an increase of 8.6 million acutely food-insecure people (74 percent). Burundi and Somalia experienced an increase of 1 million people each, increasing the acutely food insecure population by 65 percent and 18 percent, respectively."

Over the past year, fifteen countries' outlooks have improved. Even if it's believed that the recent coup d'état in some of these countries may undo these advances, the population of Sri Lanka fell by 2.4 million people (38%) and that of Niger by 1.1 million people (25%) who were chronically food insecure.

The number of individuals who are acutely food insecure has fallen by almost 500,000 in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Guinea. A 42% decrease was recorded in Guinea and 31% in Mali.

Globally, ten nations account for 70% of those with severe food insecurity. Of those ten nations, 6 are African. Below are the top 5 African nations facing acute food insecurity.

PS: Somalia stands as the 6th African country on the World Bank report, which dates back to August of this year. Its figure stands at 6.6 million and its rank is 10th.