Rome, March 17 (SANA) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) issued a stark warning on Tuesday, stating that the continuation of the current war in the Middle East through June could push an additional 45 million people into acute famine.
Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the WFP, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that rising prices and supply chain disruptions—triggered by the US-Israeli-Iranian war—are aggravating an already fragile global food landscape. Currently, 319 million people worldwide suffer from food insecurity; however, the ongoing exchange of strikes in the region threatens to push these numbers to “unprecedented catastrophic levels.”
Skau highlighted that the WFP is facing a double-edged crisis: while the need for aid is skyrocketing, the resources available to the program have decreased significantly compared to the last two years. This funding gap has forced the WFP to reduce staff and streamline operations at a time when operating costs—driven by high fuel prices and the necessity of rerouting shipping—have become prohibitively expensive.
International organizations and economists warned that any long-term disruption in the Strait of Hormuz will rapidly transcend the oil markets, impacting global transport costs and energy, which directly inflates food prices and lowers living standards globally.
According to data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), 21 tankers have been targeted and reported in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman since the conflict began on February 28. This surge in maritime threats has effectively paralyzed one of the world’s most vital corridors for energy and trade, creating a ripple effect that is now being felt in the world’s poorest regions.
H.H
