The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) issued a stark warning, stating that the war in Middle East could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, the UN chief has once again demanded an immediate end to the escalating violence across the region. This warning comes as the conflict enters its third week of intense military operations and retaliatory strikes.
The humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly as international organizations struggle to maintain their global operations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres asserted that the war in the Middle East must stop immediately for the sake of humanity. He issued this statement through the UN Spokesperson’s Office in New York to emphasize the gravity of the situation. The world now watches as a regional conflict threatens to destabilize global food security and aid distribution.
The UN’s Urgent Demand for Legal Compliance
António Guterres emphasized that all Security Council resolutions regarding the end of Middle East conflicts must be fully implemented. Specifically, he highlighted Resolution 2817, which demanded an end to Iran’s attacks on neighbouring States during the hostilities. This resolution serves as a critical legal framework for restoring peace and security in the volatile region. However, the ongoing violence suggests that diplomatic efforts are currently failing to restrain the combatants on the ground.
The Secretary-General’s call for peace is not just a diplomatic formality but a desperate plea for global stability. Furthermore, the implementation of these resolutions is essential to prevent a wider conflagration that could involve more nations. Peace is the only viable path to ensuring that humanitarian aid can reach the world’s most vulnerable populations. Without a ceasefire, the logistical challenges of providing aid will continue to grow beyond our collective capacity.
A Return to COVID-Era Supply Chain Disruption
WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau informed reporters in Geneva that the conflict has caused major knock-on effects globally. He stated that supply chains may be on the brink of the most severe disruption since the 2022 Ukraine war. Humanitarian organizations are feeling the pain as their ability to move essential supplies is being severely compromised. The current crisis mirrors the logistical nightmares experienced during the height of the global pandemic years ago.
Relief operations are currently suffering from significantly longer shipping times as vessels avoid dangerous combat zones.
This delay means that life-saving food and medicine are not reaching those in desperate need fast enough. Moreover, the escalating violence has created a climate of uncertainty that makes long-term humanitarian planning nearly impossible. The WFP is working tirelessly to find alternative routes, but these options are often more expensive and time-consuming.
The Staggering Rise in Humanitarian Operating Costs
Amid ongoing hostilities, the WFP’s shipping costs have increased by a staggering 18 per cent so far. This spike is attributed to both the danger of the routes and the rising prices of global shipping. Furthermore, thousands of WFP trucks remain on the roads every day to deliver essential supplies to various regions. These vehicles are now running on much more expensive fuel due to the recent surge in global oil prices.
Carl Skau deplored the impact of these higher costs on the agency’s ability to help the poor. Higher operating expenses mean the WFP can buy less food or provide less cash to its many beneficiaries. Consequently, the agency is being forced to make difficult decisions about who receives life-saving assistance and who does not. This financial strain is pushing the humanitarian system to its absolute breaking point during a time of crisis.
Devastating Impacts on Sudan and Afghanistan
The agency has already been forced to cut food rations for people facing famine conditions in Sudan. This is a tragic outcome for a population that is already suffering from its own internal conflict and displacement. Additionally, the WFP can now only support one in four acutely malnourished children in Afghanistan today. Afghanistan currently represents the world’s worst malnutrition crisis, and the situation is only getting worse as aid dwindles.
These cuts are a direct result of the financial and logistical pressures created by the Middle East war. When global resources are diverted or made more expensive, the world’s most vulnerable children pay the ultimate price. The WFP’s inability to provide full support in these regions highlights the interconnected nature of global humanitarian work. A war in one region can lead to starvation in another thousands of miles away.
The Strait of Hormuz and the Fertilizer Crisis
Another major concern for the WFP is the disruption of global fertilizer markets during a critical period. Sub-Saharan Africa is currently heading into a vital planting season that determines the region’s food supply. However, a quarter of the world’s fertilizer supply traditionally passes through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This vital waterway is now at a virtual standstill due to the ongoing naval and aerial hostilities.
The standstill in the Strait of Hormuz could lead to a catastrophic failure of crops in developing nations. Without access to affordable fertilizer, farmers will produce significantly less food, leading to local shortages and price spikes. Carl Skau explained that this disruption is happening at the worst possible time for African agricultural cycles. This situation threatens to turn a temporary food shortage into a long-term, structural famine across the continent.
Millions Priced Out of Staple Foods
The spike in global food and fuel costs could leave millions of families priced out of basic staples. This is particularly true in import-dependent countries located across sub-Saharan Africa and various parts of Asia. When prices rise, the poorest families are the first to lose access to the calories they need to survive. Consequently, the Middle East war is acting as a tax on the world’s most impoverished and hungry people.
If the conflict continues through June, an additional 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger. This estimate is based on the projected price rises for essential commodities like wheat, oil, and rice. Such an increase would take global hunger levels to an all-time record, surpassing any previous humanitarian crisis. This is a terrible prospect that the international community must work urgently to avoid through diplomatic means.
The Vanishing Lifeline: The Collapse of the Gulf Air Bridge
Lebanon currently faces a dire humanitarian catastrophe as vital air traffic disruptions stifle the delivery of essential life-saving supplies. Imran Riza, the United Nations’ top aid official in Lebanon, recently addressed reporters in Geneva regarding this growing crisis. He highlighted a stark and troubling contrast between the current situation and previous conflicts involving Israel and Lebanon.
In 2024, the nation received an incredible amount of assistance from various Gulf states to support its vulnerable populations. This support came from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and also from the state of Kuwait. However, Riza noted that this critical assistance is no longer reaching the people who need it most today. The essential “air bridge” that once transported medicine and food has now completely disappeared from the region’s logistical landscape.
Consequently, the humanitarian effects of these air traffic disruptions are felt most acutely in the epicentres of the conflict. Without a reliable way to import aid, local resources are becoming dangerously depleted as the fighting continues to escalate. This lack of international support creates a vacuum that local authorities struggle to fill during this period of instability.
A Nation on the Move: Mass Displacement and Surging Needs
Humanitarian needs across Lebanon have surged dramatically following a series of intense Israeli airstrikes and increasingly broad displacement orders. These orders now cover ever larger portions of the small Middle Eastern nation’s territory, leaving citizens with few safe options. Mr. Riza reported that approximately 132,700 people are currently staying in roughly 622 designated emergency shelters across the country.
However, the total number of individuals who have fled their homes is likely much higher than the shelter data suggests. Experts believe more than one million people have been forced to leave their residences since the conflict began to intensify. This figure represents almost 20 per cent of the total population of Lebanon, including both citizens and registered refugees.
The displacement is expected to continue as military operations expand into new regions and residential areas throughout the country. Furthermore, the current evacuation orders specifically apply to southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and parts of the Bekaa region. This mass movement of people creates logistical nightmares for aid organizations trying to provide basic food and medical care.
The Struggle to Reach the Unseen Displaced
A significant challenge for humanitarian workers is that about 70 per cent of the displaced are not in shelters. These individuals are often staying with relatives, in cars, or in public spaces where aid is difficult to distribute. Mr. Riza explained that reaching these “unseen” displaced populations creates unique and persistent challenges for his team on the ground.
Additionally, military operations make it very difficult to access those who have chosen to remain in their original villages. Many people refuse to leave despite the clear and present dangers posed by the ongoing airstrikes and ground movements. This resistance often stems from a fear of losing their homes or their ancestral land to the expanding conflict.
Humanitarian officials are particularly concerned about the elderly and those who cannot physically move due to illness or disability. These individuals are incredibly scared to leave the only safety they have ever known, even as bombs fall nearby. They represent a highly vulnerable segment of the population that remains trapped behind the shifting front lines of the war.
Legal Warnings: The Threat of Forced Displacement
The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) has voiced serious concerns regarding the legality of the current military tactics. Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan warned that the extended displacement orders may actually amount to illegal “forced displacement” under international law. Israel recently added the region between the Litani and Zahrani rivers to its broad swathes of covered territory.
International humanitarian law strictly prohibits the forced displacement of civilian populations during times of active military and armed conflict. Al-Kheetan stressed that Israeli airstrikes have already destroyed entire residential buildings located in dense and crowded urban environments. These strikes often kill multiple members of the same family, including innocent women and children, in a single event.
The destruction of civilian infrastructure raises profound questions about the proportionality and necessity of the current military campaign in Lebanon. When entire families are killed together, it highlights the devastating human cost of modern urban warfare and aerial strikes. International observers continue to monitor these developments closely as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate at a rapid pace.
The Fragility of Global Interdependence
The WFP’s report exposes the terrifying fragility of our modern, interdependent global food system. A localized war in the Middle East has the power to trigger a famine in the Horn of Africa. This reality highlights how military actions by powerful states can have unintended, lethal consequences for the global poor. The reliance on a few strategic chokepoints, like the Strait of Hormuz, makes the world’s food supply highly vulnerable.
Furthermore, the 18% increase in shipping costs reflects a broader trend of “conflict-inflation” that traditional economics often overlooks. When humanitarian agencies are forced to pay more for fuel and shipping, the efficiency of every donated dollar drops. This creates a vicious cycle where the need for aid increases just as the ability to provide it decreases. The world must recognize that peace in the Middle East is a prerequisite for global food security.
Q&A Section: The Impact of War on Global Hunger
Q: Why is the Middle East war affecting food prices in Africa and Asia?
A: The war has disrupted shipping routes and caused fuel prices to spike, making food transport much more expensive.
Q: What role does the Strait of Hormuz play in the global food supply?
A: It is a critical waterway for 25% of the world’s fertilizer, which is essential for farming in many regions.
Q: How many people could face acute hunger if the war continues?
A: An additional 45 million people could be pushed into acute hunger by the end of June due to price rises.
Q: What is happening to WFP operations in Sudan and Afghanistan?
A: The WFP has been forced to cut food rations in Sudan and can only help 25% of malnourished children in Afghanistan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is the current disruption worse than the COVID-19 pandemic?
The WFP warns it could become the most severe disruption to supply chains since COVID and the 2022 Ukraine war.
What is Resolution 2817?
It is a UN Security Council resolution that demanded an end to Iran’s attacks on its neighbouring States.
How much have WFP shipping costs increased?
Shipping costs have risen by 18 per cent since the start of the escalating violence in the Middle East.
What happens if fertilizer does not reach Sub-Saharan Africa?
Crop yields will likely fail during the upcoming planting season, leading to severe local food shortages and higher prices.
How long has the current Middle East conflict been escalating?
The conflict is currently in its third week, sparked by strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliatory attacks.
Why are fuel prices affecting the WFP so severely?
The WFP operates thousands of trucks daily, and higher oil prices significantly increase the cost of delivering every meal.
Final Thoughts: The warnings from the WFP and the UN Secretary-General serve as a call to action for the world. We are witnessing a humanitarian system stretched to its limits by a conflict it did not start. The only way to prevent a record-breaking global hunger crisis is to silence the guns in the Middle East. If we fail to act, the consequences will be felt in every corner of the globe for years to come.
