World News in Brief: Millions displaced in South Sudan, global meat supply quadruples, Middle East crisis deepens global hunger

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Months of fighting and insecurity have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei State, triggering “one of the most severe conflict-related displacement emergencies in recent years”, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. 

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Fighting between the national army and the opposing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement militia, has intensified, particularly in Jonglei’s Akobo County – and civilians continue to bear the brunt.

Around 140,000 people have been displaced there alone, while more than 300,000 have been uprooted across Jonglei and neighbouring states since December last year – adding to nearly two million people internally displaced.

At the same time, approximately 100,000 people have fled into neighbouring Ethiopia in search of safety, with population movements remaining fluid as thousands return home in recent weeks.

Shelters made from sticks 

Many families are returning to find their homes destroyed, or looted, forcing them to cram into unfinished buildings and makeshift shelters made from sticks and plastic sheeting.

Constrained humanitarian access across several locations has cut off the most vulnerable from critical aid, further deepening the crisis.

With South Sudan’s rainy season now underway, the world’s youngest nation, which has faced repeated waves of conflict, displacement and climate shocks since independence in 2011, is likely to face flooding – another layer of hardship. 

Global meat supply quadruples over the past six decades

The global supply of animal-based food products has increased significantly over the past six decades – mainly eggs, poultry and pork – according to a new study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The report found that poultry meat showed the most pronounced growth, approximately five-fold, followed by eggs and pig meat – both of which nearly doubled, while beef products remained stable or declined in many regions.

In 2022, global production reached 361 million tonnes of meat, up from around 71 million tonnes in 1961. 

The production of milk was 930 million tonnes up from approximately 342 million tonnes, while egg production in the same period increased from 15 million tonnes to 94 million tonnes. 

Loss and waste

Per capita land animal products supply remains highest in Northern America, while in Asia – despite being the leading producer – meat is still relatively hard to get hold of. 

In sub-Saharan Africa, per capita supply has remained largely stagnant, with only limited gains in certain countries, such as milk in Kenya and poultry in South Africa.

Food loss and waste further exacerbate these disparities and present a growing sustainability challenge. 

An estimated one-third of all food produced globally never reaches the plate, including roughly 14 per cent of animal food products. Losses are often linked to inadequate cold chain infrastructure and poor temperature control.

World’s poorest pushed further into hunger as Middle East crisis ripple effects continue

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Three months after warning that the escalating Middle East crisis could push millions more people into hunger, a new analysis from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) shows that the fallout from the conflict is already having deep and long-lasting effects in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.

The new WFP report focused on three countries with differing exposure to the supply chain bottleneck, found that an additional 2.5 million people in Somalia, 1.3 million in Sri Lanka and 2.3 million in Afghanistan are struggling to meet basic food needs and, in some cases, being pushed into acute hunger.

“We warned that this crisis could push millions more people into hunger; now we are watching it happen in real time.” said Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service. 

Expected to worsen

These impacts are expected to intensify in the coming months, even if the crisis in the Middle East de-escalates. 

In many parts of the world, farmers are going through planting seasons with severe fertilizer shortages and high fuel prices. This is expected to have a devastating impact on crop yields and, consequently, on food prices months down the line.

The report also shows how the conflict in the Middle East forcing the WFP into a triple squeeze with rising needs, increased delivery costs and shrinking funding all culminating in devastating consequences. 

WFP estimates it will now serve 1.5 million fewer people than originally planned in 2026. 

However, if the conflict continues in the coming months, the WFP warned that more than 9 million people could lose assistance.