ABNA24 - Rising regional instability and disruptions to global trade routes are accelerating a deepening food crisis, the World Food Program has warned, citing sharp increases in food prices linked to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Samer AbdelJaber, the WFP’s regional director for West Asia, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, said the situation is evolving into a “crisis within a crisis,” as inflation and supply disruptions continue to impact vulnerable populations worldwide. Speaking to CNN, AbdelJaber warned that market instability is sending “shockwaves across the globe,” with food systems under mounting pressure.
He estimated that up to 45 million people could face food insecurity if the global economic downturn persists, highlighting the widening scale of the crisis.
In a report released Friday, the WFP said acute food insecurity and malnutrition remain “alarmingly high and deeply entrenched” across several countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The joint report, prepared with the United Nations, the European Union, and partner countries, projects a bleak outlook for 2026.
Particular concern was raised for Gaza and Sudan, where famine conditions were identified in 2025 by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system. Sudan’s reliance on fertilizer imports from the Gulf has been further strained by maritime disruptions, forcing aid agencies to reroute shipments through longer paths in the Red Sea.
AbdelJaber added that food costs in Gaza have climbed by 85% since the war involving Iran began, highlighting the heavy toll on civilians.
He said that while there had been hopes of restoring a sense of normal life in places like Gaza, that goal remains far from being achieved.
Similarly, in the first weeks of April, a senior United Nations official warned that escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz could spill over into a wider global crisis affecting food production, as disruptions to key supply chains threaten access to essential agricultural inputs.
David Laborde, director of the Agrifood Economics Division at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], said the world is already under growing pressure from constrained resources, cautioning that further escalation could significantly worsen the situation.
“We are in an input crisis; we do not want to make it a catastrophe ... The difference depends on the actions we take,” Laborde said in a podcast released on the organization’s YouTube channel.
He explained that prolonged instability in the Strait of Hormuz could disrupt access to fertilizers and other inputs critical for agricultural production, particularly in countries that rely heavily on imports. Such disruptions, he added, could weaken food systems and contribute to rising prices and shortages.
Laborde called for early preventive measures if the standoff persists, urging international institutions to provide financial support to countries at risk of losing access to essential fertilizers.
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