COVID-19: Countries are at risk of famine due to coronavirus

03-05-2020 by Mirai

While governments are fighting the pandemic, some are struggling with the consequences of the pandemic, including famine. The United Nations World Food Program indicates that it could double current levels.

"Now with covid-19, I want to emphasize that we are facing not only a pandemic, but also a global humanitarian catastrophe," says David Beasley, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program. "Before coronavirus became a problem, he said 2020 would face the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II for various reasons."

The data from the last year indicates that 135 million people live in an extreme level of hunger, after the limitations generated by the quarantine to fight the coronavirus could increase to 265 million, indicated David Beasley.

The countries with the highest risk of reaching these levels of famine are:

Afghanistan

With 34 million inhabitants. In 2018, the United Nations World Food Program provided aid to some 5.5 million people, in 2019 it destined aid for some 4.5 million Afghans.

For this, the UN allocates 612 million dollars as humanitarian aid.

The root of this situation originate in conflicts, illiteracy, corruption and social problems.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Approximately 13 million people have problems guaranteeing their diet, including 5 million children.

The UN helps 5.1 million people in this country, among whom 1.5 million receive nutritional assistance.

Situation generated by its continuous conflicts that have worsened since 2016, generating a large number of displaced people, farmers who cannot plant the land, this being their main source of food.

South Sudan

After 5 years of conflict, famine threatens a large part of the country's population, 4.1 million people have had to flee their homes due to violence, 1.8 million remain in the country and 2.3 million are refugees in countries. neighbors.

With the arrival of the pandemic, the situation has worsened dramatically, adding to the problems of food shortages, child soldiers, lack of clean water, illiteracy and medicine.

Yemen

After the intensification of the conflict 14 million people are at risk of famine, this sifra could worsen due to the measures that are being taken to combat the coronavirus.