The United Nations food agency has warned that millions more people are being pushed toward acute hunger as a result of the economic and humanitarian impacts of the war involving Iran.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply previously passed, has contributed to rising food prices across global markets.
Carl Skau, Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), stated that the link between energy prices and food costs “is very strong in many countries” and that “when food prices rise, the poorest people eat less.”
According to WFP analysis, an additional 2.5 million people in Somalia, 2.3 million in Afghanistan, and 1.3 million in Sri Lanka are already struggling to meet their basic food needs.
“These consequences are expected to worsen in the coming months, even if the crisis in the Middle East eases,” the report stated.
In March, during the early days of the conflict, the agency projected that by the end of June, as many as 45 million people could be pushed into food insecurity.
This figure adds to the 318 million people worldwide who are already facing food insecurity.
