As reported on Voice of America, The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that over 250 individuals worldwide are suffering from severe food insecurity— mostly in the Middle East and Africa— with many of them facing the probability of starving to death.
Khartoum: AlTaghyeer: Agencies
The UN agency reported that the number of people facing hunger worldwide rose from 34 million to 41 million for the current year.
The (WFP) spokesperson also noted that almost half a million food insecurity cases are living in in conditions somewhat akin to “starvation” in areas of the Middle East and Africa like Yemen, the Tigray region, Madagascar, and South Sudan.
For his part, the High Commissioner for Refugees has also stated that the number of people displaced due to wars and conflicts has surpassed 82 million worldwide over a decade’s time.
Refugees In Numbers
According official UN statistics, the number of refugees worldwide has surpassed 82 million; something that the UN considered a “record” number.
Despite the onset of COVID-19 leading to the closure of many borders, and despite the many calls for ceasefire by the UN, but conflicts have kept the flow of displaced individuals almost steady.
Seemingly, the pandemic has had no effect on some of the root causes driving people to flee, due to war, violence and ethnic conflicts having persisted despite the viral outbreak.
The year 2020 witnessed the addition of more than three million refugees to the previously recorded 79.5 million, resulting in the 82 million refugees worldwide figure.
Young people accounted for 42% of refugees, while it is estimated that one million newborns were born as refugees from 2018-2020.
According to the UN report, the fighting in Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, and Ethiopia was responsible for adding a million more displaced individuals to the official count last year.
The UN has called on world leaders to set their differences aside, and put an end to “selfish politics”, in order to curb displacement traffic.
