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UN warns 345 million people face starvation worldwide
A ‘tsunami of hunger’ and ‘real and dangerous risk of multiple famines this year’, head of UN World Food Programme warns.
(Al Jazeera) The United Nations food chief has warned the world is facing “a global emergency of unprecedented magnitude” with up to 345 million people marching towards starvation – and 70 million pushed closer to starvation by the war in Ukraine.
David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, told the UN Security Council on Thursday the 345 million people facing acute food insecurity in the 82 countries where the agency operates is more than twice the number of acutely food insecure people before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
He said it is incredibly troubling that 50 million of those people in 45 countries are suffering from very acute malnutrition and are “knocking on famine’s door”.
“What was a wave of hunger is now a tsunami of hunger,” he said, pointing to rising conflict, the pandemic’s economic ripple effects, climate change, rising fuel prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since Russia invaded its neighbour on February 24, Beasley said, soaring food, fuel and fertiliser costs have driven 70 million people closer to starvation.
Despite an agreement in July allowing Ukrainian grain to be shipped from three Black Sea ports blockaded by Russia and continuing efforts to get Russian fertiliser back to global markets,
“there is a real and dangerous risk of multiple famines this year”, he said.
“And in 2023, the current food price crisis could develop into a food availability crisis if we don’t act.”
The Security Council was focusing on conflict-induced food insecurity and the risk of famine in Ethiopia, northeastern Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen. But Beasley and UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths also warned about the food crisis in Somalia, which they both recently visited, and Griffiths also put Afghanistan high on the list.
“Famine will happen in Somalia. Be sure it won’t be the only place either,” Griffiths said.
He cited recent assessments that identified “hundreds of thousands of people facing catastrophic levels of hunger” – meaning they are at the worst famine level.
Beasley recalled his warning to the council in April 2020 “that we were then facing famine, starvation of biblical proportions”. He said then the world “stepped up with funding and tremendous response, and we averted catastrophe”.
“We are on the edge once again, even worse, and we must do all that we can – all hands on deck with every fibre of our bodies,” he said. “The hungry people of the world are counting on us and … we must not let them down.”
Griffiths said the widespread and increasing food insecurity is a result of the direct and indirect effect of conflict and violence that kills and injures civilians, forces families to flee the land they depend on for income and food, and leads to economic decline and rising prices for food they cannot afford.
After more than seven years of war In Yemen, he said, “some 19 million people – six out of 10 – are acutely food insecure, an estimated 160,000 people are facing catastrophe, and 538,000 children are severely malnourished”.
Beasley said the Ukraine war is stoking inflation in Yemen, which is 90 percent reliant on food imports. The World Food Programme hopes to provide aid to about 18 million people, but its costs have risen 30 percent this year to $2.6bn.
As a result, it has been forced to cut back so Yemenis this month are getting only two-thirds of their previous rations, he said.
Beasley said South Sudan faces “its highest rate of acute hunger since its independence in 2011” from Sudan. He said 7.7 million people, more than 60 percent of the population, are “facing critical or worse levels of food insecurity”.
Without a political solution to escalating violence and substantial spending on aid, “many people in South Sudan will die”, he warned.
In northern Ethiopia’s Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions, more than 13 million people need life-saving food, Griffiths said. He pointed to a survey in Tigray in June that found 89 percent of people food insecure, “more than half of them severely so”.
Beasley said a truce in March enabled WFP and its partners to reach almost five million people in the Tigray area, but resumed fighting in recent weeks “threatens to push many hungry, exhausted families over the edge”.
In northeast Nigeria, the UN projects that 4.1 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity, including 588,000 who faced emergency levels between June and August, Griffiths said. Almost half of those people could not be reached because of insecurity, and the UN fears “some people may already be at the level of catastrophe and already dying”.
Griffiths urged the Security Council to “leave no stone unturned” in trying to end these conflicts, and to step up financing for humanitarian operations, saying UN appeals in those four countries are all “well below half of the required funding”.
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Heat index likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Eastern provinces and Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre at 3.30 p.m. on 11 April 2026, valid for 12 April 2026
The Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Eastern provinces and Monaragala district.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note: In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
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Sun directly overhead Cheddikulam, Kebithigollewa, Gomarankadawala and Nilaveli about 12:11 noon. today [12]
On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 05th to 15th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (12th) are Cheddikulam, Kebithigollewa, Gomarankadawala and Nilaveli about 12:11 noon.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has directed owners of large-scale rooftop solar systems to temporarily disconnect their installations for a 10-day period beginning from Friday (April 10), citing growing concerns over grid stability amid low electricity demand and high solar generation.
The directive applies to rooftop solar systems exceeding 300 kW capacity, which are required to remain switched off until April 20. The move coincides with the extended holiday season, during which national electricity demand typically declines, alongside prevailing sunny weather conditions that significantly increase solar output.
Senior electrical engineers told The Island that the decision, though exceptional, was necessitated by operational risks posed to the national grid.
“We are seeing a pronounced imbalance between supply and demand,” a senior CEB system control engineer said. “With industries and commercial establishments operating at reduced levels during the holidays, demand drops. At the same time, solar generation remains high, creating excess power that the grid struggles to absorb.”
He explained that such imbalances could lead to fluctuations in system frequency, potentially threatening the stability of the grid. “If generation exceeds demand, frequency rises beyond acceptable limits.
This can trigger automatic protection mechanisms or, in extreme cases, lead to partial outages.”Another senior engineer attached to the transmission division noted that managing distributed solar generation remains a technical challenge.
“Unlike conventional power plants, rooftop solar systems are not centrally dispatchable. We cannot directly control their output in real time. This limits our ability to balance the system during periods of excess generation,” he said.
He added that the country’s grid infrastructure is still adapting to the rapid growth of renewable energy. “We lack sufficient large-scale battery storage and advanced grid management systems to effectively handle these fluctuations. Until such capabilities are enhanced, temporary curtailment becomes necessary.”
Engineers also pointed out that conventional thermal plants cannot be abruptly shut down or adjusted to compensate for sudden surges in solar generation.
“These plants require minimum stable operating levels. When solar floods the grid during low demand, it creates operational constraints that are not easy to manage,” one official said.
The CEB, in its statement, expressed appreciation for the cooperation of solar system owners affected by the measure, stressing that it is a short-term intervention aimed at ensuring uninterrupted and stable electricity supply across the country.
Energy experts say the development underscores the urgent need for grid modernization, including investment in battery energy storage systems, smart grid technologies, and improved demand-side management.
“This is part of the transition challenge,” an independent analyst noted. “As solar penetration increases, the grid must evolve to become more flexible. Otherwise, curtailment will remain a recurring necessity.”
Despite the temporary shutdown, CEB engineers reaffirmed their commitment to expanding renewable energy.
“Solar power is a key pillar of Sri Lanka’s future energy mix,” a senior engineer said. “But integration must be carefully managed. Grid stability cannot be compromised.”
The temporary disconnection order, which took effect yesterday, marks a critical moment in Sri Lanka’s energy transition—highlighting both the progress made in renewable energy adoption and the technical hurdles that remain.
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Showers expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, North-western and Uva provinces and in Ampara, Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa districts after 1.00 p.m.
Heat index likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Eastern provinces and Monaragala district
Sun directly overhead Cheddikulam, Kebithigollewa, Gomarankadawala and Nilaveli about 12:11 noon. today [12]
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