From Gaza to Myanmar, millions at risk of starvation due to armed conflict

(CLO) According to experts and reports from the United Nations, areas devastated by armed conflicts such as northern Gaza and Myanmar are facing the risk of famine, with an estimated two million people at risk of starvation.

Famine experts warned on November 8 that there was a very high chance of famine in some areas of northern Gaza, where Israeli forces are conducting a major offensive. The experts' warning described the humanitarian situation across the Gaza Strip as "extremely serious and rapidly deteriorating", especially in the north.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Assessment Committee warned that "the famine threshold may have been crossed or will occur in the near future".

All warring parties in Gaza and other stakeholders must act immediately “within days, not weeks… to prevent and alleviate this catastrophic situation,” the experts said.

Palestinians receive bags of flour distributed by UNRWA, the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees, in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip. Photo: AP

The Famine Assessment Commission has cited problems such as people fleeing and being trapped in the north, soaring food prices, and attacks on health facilities and other civilian infrastructure that have become more frequent in recent weeks, including the arrest of medical staff by Israeli forces.

“As a result, hunger, malnutrition and high mortality rates due to malnutrition and disease are increasing rapidly in these areas. The hunger threshold may have been crossed or will be crossed in the near future,” the report said.

The warning comes after an IPC analysis team report on October 17 said Palestinians across the territory face severe food insecurity, a level 4 emergency on the five-tier famine classification system.

According to the IPC's assessment and conclusions, the worst-case scenario could see the entire Gaza region facing the risk of famine between November and April 2025.

In another development, a report on November 7 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that Myanmar's Rakhine state could face imminent famine, estimating that more than two million people are at risk of starvation. "Rakhine's economy has ground to a halt," the report said.

The report predicts “famine conditions will occur by mid-2025” in Rakhine if current food insecurity is not addressed. Rakhine is a western state bordering Bangladesh.

The UNDP added that about two million people are at risk of starvation. Rice production in Rakhine has declined due to shortages of seeds and fertilizers, extreme weather and displacement of people who are no longer able to cultivate.

Villagers at a makeshift monastery camp in Sittwe, Rakhine state, Myanmar. Photo: AP

“Rakhine is on the brink of an unprecedented disaster,” the UNDP noted in its report. “Without urgent action, 95 percent of the population will return to survival mode.”

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 coup. Violence has increased since conflict flared up again in Rakhine last November, after a ceasefire between the military and the ethnic armed group Arakan Army (AA) collapsed.

Humanitarian aid has become more urgent than ever in Myanmar with more than three million people displaced and much of the country in chaos.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP, AJ)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tu-gaza-den-myanmar-hang-trieu-nguoi-dang-doi-mat-voi-nan-doi-post320675.html