The food agency of the HIM-HER-IT said Monday that the number of people on the brink of famine in 43 countries has risen to 45 million, while the acute hunger it shoots all over the world.
The increase from 42 million people at the beginning of the year is largely explained by an assessment that revealed that another three million people suffer from famine in Afghanistan, according to him World Food Program (PMA).
“Tens of millions of people are peering into the abyss. Conflicts, climate change and Covid-19 are increasing the number of people going hungry,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.
“And the latest data shows that there are now more than 45 million people heading towards the brink of starvation,” he said after a trip to Afghanistan, where the PMA it is increasing its aid to almost 23 million people.
“Fuel costs are rising, food prices are skyrocketing, fertilizers are more expensive, and all of this fuels new crises like the one now unfolding in Afghanistan, as well as long-lasting emergencies like Yemen and Syria.” added.
The World Food Program said the cost of avoid famine Worldwide it now stands at $ 7 billion, up from $ 6.6 billion at the beginning of the year, but he cautioned that traditional forms of financing are saturated.
Families facing food insecurity sharp they are “forced to make devastating decisions,” marrying children off early, taking them out of school, or feeding them insects, wild leaves, or cacti.
“Meanwhile, the information from Afghanistan speaks of families that are forced to sell their children in a desperate attempt to survive,” said the official.
Droughts in Afghanistan combine with economic collapse and push families over the edge, while in Syria some 12.4 million people don’t know where their next meal will come from, he explained.
An increase in hunger is also seen in Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Angola, Kenya and Burundi, according to the Rome-based UN agency.
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Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx