The first famines of the coronavirus era could soon hit four chronically food-deprived conflict areas ¡ª Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo ¡ª the top humanitarian official of the United Nations has warned.
In a letter to members of the Security Council, the official, Mark Lowcock, said the risk of famines in these areas had been intensified by ¡°natural disasters, economic shocks and public-health crises, all compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.¡± Together, he said, ¡°these factors are endangering the lives of millions of women, men and children.¡±
The letter, which has not been made public, was conveyed by Lowcock¡¯s office to the Security Council on Friday under its 2018 resolution requiring updates when ¡°the risk of conflict-induced famine and widespread food insecurity¡± occurs. A copy of the letter was seen by The New York Times.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.