Nearly 5.4 million children aged 0-59 months in northwest and northeast Nigeria are suffering from acute malnutrition and will likely continue suffering through 2025. This includes about 1.8 million cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and 3.6 million cases of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). Additionally, approximately 787,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished.

In the current period of May – September 2024, over half of the 133 Local Government Areas (LGAs) assessed were classified as IPC Acute Malnutrition (AMN) Phase 3 (Serious) or Phase 4 (Critical). Specifically, in the northeast, 10 LGAs were in Phase 4 and 21 in Phase 3; in the northwest, there were 24 in Phase 4 and 29 in Phase 3.

Key factors driving this crisis include poor food consumption, inadequate health services, and ongoing food insecurity. The number of acutely malnourished children needing treatment has risen by 23 percent since the last analysis, with SAM cases increasing by 69 percent.

The first projection period from October to December 2024 indicates that acute malnutrition levels in both the northeast and northwest regions are expected to remain largely stable compared to the current period. However, Northern Yobe is likely to see a deterioration in its situation. During the second projection period from January to April 2025, conditions in the northeast are anticipated to remain similar, with the exception of Mobbar and Nganzai in Northern Borno, where a decline is expected.

Armed violence and conflict continue to affect the livelihoods of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This, combined with soaring food prices and the prolonged effects of various epidemics have left approximately 25.6 million in high levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse).

Between July to December 2024, around 3 percent of people (around 3.1 million people) are facing critical levels of food insecurity – IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) – characterized by large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition. Another 19 percent (22.4 million people) are facing crisis levels of food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 (Crisis).

The affected populations are spread throughout the country, however, the most affected populations are mainly displaced people and returnees – concentrated in the provinces of North Kivu, Ituri, South Kivu and Tanganyika, Maindombe – as well as populations affected by natural disasters and unemployment.

The analysis projected for January to June 2025 indicates a situation where food insecurity rates are expected to be almost identical to those of the current situation, with 25.5 million people (22 percent of the population analysed) projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phases 3 or above), including around 3.3 million people who are projected to face critical levels of acute food insecurity (Phase 4) and 22.2 million people who will likely be in Phase 3.

One year into the conflict, the risk of Famine persists across the whole Gaza Strip. Given the recent surge in hostilities, there are growing concerns that this worstcase scenario may materialize. Violence has displaced nearly 2 million people, decimated livelihoods, crippled food systems, destroyed 70 percent of crop fields, severely restricted humanitarian operations and resulted in the collapse of health services and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) systems. Catastrophic acute food insecurity and concerning acute malnutrition levels will continue to prevail if the conflict continues, and humanitarian activities are restricted.

Between September and October 2024, the whole territory is classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). About 1.84 million people across the Gaza Strip are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) or above, including nearly 133,000 people facing catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) and 664,000, in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). Acute Malnutrition is at serious levels (IPC AMN Phase 3), ten times higher than before the escalation of the hostilities.

Nearly half of the population (4.7 million people) in the Government of Yemen (GoY) controlled areas experienced high levels of acute food insecurity between July and September 2024, classified as IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). This included 1.2 million people who experienced critical levels of food insecurity – IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) – characterized by large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition. This reflects a continued, though slower, deterioration in the food security situation compared to the last IPC update (October 2023 – February 2024), when around 4.6 million people were classified in Phase 3 or above.

An estimated 1.6 million cases of children aged 6 to 59 months are expected to experience acute malnutrition between August 2024 and July 2025. This includes approximately 403,000 children likely to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Compared to the same season last year, this represents a 14 and 22 percent increase in the burden of both global acute malnutrition (GAM) and SAM, respectively. Regarding nutrition, between October and December 2024 – a period marked by increased disease outbreaks and reduced food access – acute malnutrition is expected to worsen. In eight areas, the situation is projected to escalate to a higher IPC Phase than the current classification. In the remaining twenty-three areas, while deterioration is anticipated, conditions are likely to remain within the same IPC AMN Phase as observed between June and September 2024. This includes seven areas already classified as being in a Critical situation. The rest are expected to remain in the Serious, Alert, or Acceptable Phases, with no major deterioration foreseen.

Haiti continues to face a worsening humanitarian crisis, with alarming rates of armed gang violence disrupting daily life, forcing more people to flee their homes and levels of acute food insecurity to rise. Nearly half of the population (48 percent) are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, classified in Crisis or worse conditions (IPC Phase 3 or above) between August 2024 and February 2025. This includes 6,000 people experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger and a collapse of their livelihoods, classified in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe). Another 2 million people (18 percent of the population analysed) are facing critical levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), while 3.4 million people face crisis levels of acute food insecurity, classified as IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). There is a 4 percent increase (1.2 million people) in the prevalence of populations in IPC Phase 3 or above compared to the previous analysis conducted for the same period in August 2023.

An estimated 5.8 million people (33 percent of the analysed population) will likely experience heightened hunger between October 2024 and March 2025. The IPC projects that nearly 5.6 million people will likely experience IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and 236,000 people IPC Phase 4 (Emergency). Seven additional districts are projected to move from IPC Phase 2 (Stressed) to Phase 3 – corresponding to 89 hotspot districts in Zambia. To prevent this dire situation, urgent lifesaving and livelihood assistance is imperative.

The food insecurity is primarily driven by climate related shocks and hazards that affect all districts. Noticeable among these shocks and hazards are prolonged dry spells (leading to droughts), pests and diseases, human-wildlife conflict and high input and food prices, which were mainly driven by exogenous shocks. The prolonged dry spells were largely experienced between December 2023 and March 2024. Occurrences of pest infestations included outbreaks of Fall Army Worms (FAW) and locusts in some parts of the country. Diseases such as the Cassava brown streak disease were also observed to have significantly impacted the seasonal crop performance. In addition, the country suffered an outbreak of cholera that affected over 70 districts. All these drivers of food insecurity were at the backdrop of an already volatile economy, further inundated by exogenous shocks, thereby resulting in increasing commodity prices.

During the current period of analysis, from July to September 2024, 1.15 million people in Namibia (38 percent of the analysed population) face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) and require urgent action to reduce food gaps and protect livelihoods; all the 14 areas of analysis are classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). This represents an improvement compared to what was projected in the last July 2023 analysis, where 1.44 million people (48 percent) were expected to face high levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) for the same period (July-September 2024). While the main assumption on the impact of El Nino was adjusted, the deterioration of the food security situation is still linked to the negative impact of El Nino on crop and livestock production, price shocks, economic decline and unemployment.

In the first projection period (October 2024 – March 2025), the food security situation is expected to worsen due to the start of the lean season, and seasonal price increases, where 1.26 million people (41 percent of the analysed population) are expected to be in IPC Phase 3 or above. Most of the areas are likely to remain classified in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

The Integrated Phase classification for Acute Malnutrition (IPC AMN) analysis conducted in July 2024 shows overall improvement. However, some areas continue to report high levels of acute malnutrition. Turkana South improved from IPC AMN Phase 5 (Extremely Critical) to IPC AMN Phase 4 (Critical). Turkana Central, Turkana West, Turkana North, North Horr, Laisamis, Mandera, and Tiaty improved though within the same phase; IPC AMN Phase 4 (Critical).

The nutrition situation is expected to continue improving over the projection period, although it will likely remain within the same acute malnutrition classification phases. The major improvement in reducing the prevalence of global acute malnutrition is attributed to enhanced nutrition and food security interventions in addition to improved food security characterized by positive impact of long rains in the pastoral communities associated with improved milk availability and consumption, and in agropastoral communities increased food stocks and vegetables resulting from the favorable cumulative performance from the 2023 short rains and the 2024 long rains.