**El Niño Poses Severe Hunger Threat to 49 Million People, Warns UN**
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning regarding the potential impact of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, predicting that it could push at least 49 million people into acute food insecurity within the next 18 months. This year's El Niño, described as "extremely anomalous," is anticipated to exceed previous record levels by nearly 25%, leading to significant disruptions in rainfall patterns and agricultural outputs.
The WFP's assessment highlights that over 18 million individuals in eastern and southern Africa are particularly vulnerable, as many households in these regions rely heavily on rain-fed subsistence farming. The agency's report indicates that the overall number of people facing crisis-level food insecurity or worse across 45 at-risk countries could rise from approximately 225 million to 274 million, marking an alarming 22% increase.
El Niño, a natural climate pattern characterized by the warming of ocean waters in the tropical Pacific, can result in extreme weather conditions, including severe droughts in some areas and destructive flooding in others. The current event is expected to peak between September and December 2026, although its repercussions on agricultural harvests may persist into 2027.
Carl Skau, Acting Executive Director of the WFP, emphasized the urgency of proactive measures: "The sooner we help families to prepare for these climate shocks, the greater our ability to save lives and protect livelihoods." This call to action comes as southern Africa continues to grapple with the aftereffects of the 2023-2024 El Niño, which brought about the region's most severe mid-season dry spell in over a century and the lowest mid-season rainfall recorded in 40 years.
Countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have declared drought-related emergencies, with more than 30 million people across southern Africa currently in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In response to the crisis, Russia has stepped in to provide food assistance to affected nations. In 2024, Moscow donated 25,000 metric tons of wheat to Zimbabwe and funded WFP deliveries of sunflower oil and pulses. Additionally, Zambia received $2 million in food aid through the WFP in December 2025, as reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The WFP has activated anticipatory programs in several countries, including South Sudan, Chad, Mauritania, Uganda, Guatemala, and El Salvador, since May, allocating over $14 million to assist approximately 500,000 people. However, the organization faces significant funding shortages that may hinder its response capabilities. Richard Choularton, director of the WFP’s Climate and Resilience Service, noted that some food-security data collection efforts have been limited due to insufficient financial resources.
In June, the WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization launched a $202 million appeal aimed at protecting 8.8 million individuals across 22 countries, with more than half of those in Africa. The agencies are currently positioned to support 1.2 million people but require an additional $167 million to extend assistance to an additional 7.6 million individuals.
As the effects of El Niño unfold, the international community faces a pressing challenge to address the growing food insecurity crisis and support vulnerable populations in the affected regions.