The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning that six of its most critical humanitarian operations are facing severe food aid pipeline breaks by the end of the year, putting millions of vulnerable people at heightened risk. According to WFP’s new report, A Lifeline at Risk, cuts to food assistance could push 13.7 million recipients from crisis to emergency levels of hunger, representing a one-third increase in acute food insecurity. The warning comes amid global funding shortfalls and record levels of hunger, with 319 million people worldwide facing acute food insecurity, including 44 million at emergency levels.
The six operations most at risk are Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. In Afghanistan, less than 10 percent of food-insecure people are being reached, with a $622 million funding shortfall threatening pipeline breaks as early as November. In DRC, assistance has been reduced from a planned 2.3 million people to 1 million, with further cuts expected to 600,000 and a complete pipeline break possible by February 2026. Haiti has already suspended hot meal programs and halved rations for emergency-affected families, while Somalia’s assistance has dropped from 2.2 million to just 350,000 people in November. In South Sudan, 2.7 million recipients are receiving only 50-70 percent of their food rations, with key items missing due to stock depletion. In Sudan, WFP supports 4.2 million people monthly, but 25 million face acute hunger, and urgent funding of $600 million is needed to scale assistance and prevent famine expansion.
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain highlighted the human cost of these cuts, noting that each ration reduction leaves children hungry, mothers skipping meals, and families without vital support. She emphasized that the shortfall threatens decades of progress in the fight against hunger and risks broader instability, displacement, and social upheaval. The agency stressed that preparedness has also suffered, with no contingency stocks for Haiti’s hurricane season and no pre-positioned food in Afghanistan ahead of winter.
Global hunger continues to rise, with famine confirmed in parts of Sudan and Gaza, and the number of people in catastrophic hunger has doubled over two years to 1.4 million. WFP’s funding for 2025 is projected to drop 40 percent to $6.4 billion, compared to $10 billion in 2024, exacerbating the gap between needs and available resources.
Despite these challenges, WFP remains committed to delivering food assistance to the world’s hungriest communities. The organization is appealing to governments, civil society, donors, and humanitarian actors to urgently provide support for food security programs. Without swift and coordinated action, millions could face escalating hunger and its devastating social, economic, and health consequences.
