Global Hunger Explodes to 363 Million as Wars, Blockades, and Oil Shocks Wreck Food Supplies
A new UN report reveals 363 million people now face acute hunger worldwide, driven by the US-Israel war on Iran, Russia’s deliberate starvation tactics in Ukraine, and a chain reaction of oil and fertilizer crises hitting farmers [158717][168212][147100]. The head of the World Food Programme warns the world is “taking from the hungry to feed the starving” as funding dries up [158717].
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reports that 45 million of the 363 million acutely hungry people are directly affected by the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting spike in oil prices [158717]. That oil shock is now spreading to fertilizer markets, weakening agriculture across South Asia and threatening the region’s food security, experts warn [147100].
In Ukraine, Russian forces are orchestrating a food shortage in the occupied city of Rubizhne by blocking civilian deliveries, then blaming Ukrainian drones for the crisis [168212]. The tactic mirrors a strategy used in the city of Oleshky, where 2,000 people starved after Russian forces prevented aid from entering [168212]. Russian troops are reportedly filming the resulting hunger to produce propaganda [168212].
Farmers worldwide are struggling with rising costs for fuel, fertiliser and animal feed, driven by the conflict in Iran [167083]. Extreme weather is compounding the crisis: the UK just recorded its hottest May day ever, and Europe saw record-breaking temperatures in late May [167083]. The UN has warned that El Niño—a weather pattern that raises global temperatures—is likely to return soon [167083].
At the same time, a new Peace Report from leading German research institutes warns that international law is failing to stop the wars driving this hunger [169105]. The report points to three major flashpoints: Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, joint Israeli and US strikes on Iran, and prolonged civil wars in several African nations [169105]. Researchers say modern warlords—both state and non-state actors—are consolidating power while international law fails to enforce consequences [169105].
A fragile ceasefire has reopened the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, allowing some Palestinians to leave and more humanitarian supplies to enter [61075]. But a UN peacekeeping mission has recorded more than 10,000 air and ground violations by Israel inside Lebanese territory since a separate ceasefire began, with 331 people killed and 945 injured by Israeli fire in the same period [6780].
Meanwhile, an investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation has exposed widespread forced labour and illegal fishing in the global squid industry, threatening marine ecosystems and human rights [168554].