The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesday warned that six of its most critical humanitarian operations are facing severe pipeline breaks by year end, putting more lives at risk, as global humanitarian funding dries up.

Without additional resources, millions of vulnerable people could be left without lifesaving food assistance at a time when global hunger has soared to record highs.

The warning comes at a time when a new report issued by WFP, A Lifeline at Risk, finds that cuts to WFP food assistance could push 13.7 million current food aid recipients from crisis (IPC3) to emergency (IPC4) levels of hunger – a one-third increase.

“The world is facing a rising tide of acute hunger that threatens millions of the most vulnerable – and the funds needed to help us respond are drying up,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Every ration cut means a child goes to bed hungry, a mother skips a meal, or a family loses the support they need to survive. The lifeline that sustains millions of people is being cut before our eyes.”

Six Critical Operations at Risk

WFP’s operations in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan are currently facing major disruptions, which will only get worse by year-end. Ration cuts and reduced caseloads are hitting communities devastated by conflict, displacement, and climate shocks – particularly affecting children, women, refugees and internally displaced people.

Afghanistan has seen dramatic reductions with assistance reaching less than 10 percent of food insecure people despite soaring malnutrition rates.

DRC faces record levels of hunger; WFP has reduced its assistance this month to 600,000 people, down from a planned 2.3 million, with a complete pipeline break possible by February 2026.

In Haiti, hot meal programmes have already stopped, and families are receiving half WFP’s standard monthly rations.

WFP’s support in Somalia has been downsized repeatedly – reaching just 350,000 people in November, compared to 2.2 million a year ago.

In South Sudan, all recipients of WFP assistance get a reduced ration, which will be missing some foods items from October as in-country stocks run out.

In Sudan, WFP currently supports four million hungry people a month; while a significant operation, there are a total of 25 million people – half the population – facing acute food insecurity across the country.

Preparedness – key to managing crisis response – has suffered too. WFP has no contingency stocks for the hurricane-season in Haiti for the first time since 2016, and no pre-positioning of food in Afghanistan as winter sets in.

Record hunger, shrinking resources

Global hunger is at record levels with 319 million people facing acute food insecurity, including 44 million in emergency levels of hunger (IPC4). Two concurrent famines have taken hold in Sudan and Gaza. Equally concerning, the number of people categorized as in famine, on the brink of famine, or at catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC 5), has doubled in just two years to 1.4 million.

WFP’s funding has never been more challenged. The agency expects to receive 40 percent less funding for 2025, resulting in a projected budget of US$6.4 billion, down from US$10 billion in 2024.

“The gap between what WFP needs to do and what we can afford to do has never been larger,” said Executive Director McCain. “We are at risk of losing decades of progress in the fight against hunger. It’s not just countries engulfed in major emergencies. Even hard-won gains in the Sahel region, where 500,000 people have been lifted out of aid dependence with integrated food assistance and resilience programs, could soon be wiped out without continued support.”

WFP Calls for Urgent Action

The impact of cuts is playing out differently across WFP’s operations, but one thing remains constant: WFP remains committed to delivering food assistance in the world’s hungriest places.

“WFP will continue to advocate for all 319 million people facing acute food insecurity worldwide – not just the number we think we can raise the funds to feed,” stressed Executive Director McCain. “The devastating harm inflicted by cuts to food assistance not only threatens lives, but also risks undermining stability, fuelling displacement, and stoking wider social and economic upheaval. Swift and effective food assistance is a vital bulwark against chaos in nations already struggling to cope.”

A successful response to the global food crisis requires a collective effort, involving governments, local civil society, public and private sector donors, and humanitarian actors. WFP is appealing to all parties involved to make every effort to support vital food security programs. The potential for tangible, meaningful results that positively impact the lives of millions is within our reach.

Six critical operations at risk:

Afghanistan: There are 9.5 million food insecure people in Afghanistan – a number that WFP fears will rise. WFP has a US$622 million funding shortfall over the next six months. Significant pipeline breaks are likely as early as November, with WFP likely to only reach 8 percent of its target for the winter humanitarian response. In the absence of adequate support, millions will suffer through the winter months.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): In DRC, a record 28 million people – one in four – are food insecure, including 10.3 million in the conflict-hit east. In 2025, WFP planned to assist all 2.3 million people in IPC 4, but only 1 million people have received support this year due to funding gaps. Assistance will be further reduced to 600,000 people from October, with a complete pipeline break looming in February 2026. The country operation has a US$351.7 million funding shortfall over the next six months.

Haiti: In Haiti, more than half of the population – 5.7 million people - is facing acute food insecurity. WFP has been forced to suspend hot meals for recently displaced people and halve monthly rations to people facing emergency level hunger due to delays in funding. The country operation has a US$44 million funding shortfall over the next six months and further pipeline breaks are possible in early 2026. This could impact assistance for more than 300,000 people, with women, children and displaced people being worse hit.

Somalia: In Somalia, 4.4 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity. Pipeline breaks are expected from November and WFP will be forced to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance to just 350,000 people. This follows initial cuts in April which saw the number halve from 2.2 million to 1.1 million. The country operation has a US$98.3 million funding shortfall over the next six months.

South Sudan: There are 7.7 million acutely food insecure people in South Sudan. WFP is operating under severe funding constraints, which have limited the scale of assistance and forced prioritization of communities in emergency and catastrophic levels (IPC4&5) of hunger. All 2.7 million people receiving WFP food assistance get a 50-70 percent ration and from October food baskets will be missing key food items – such as pulses, cereals, vegetable oil and nutrition products to prevent and treat malnutrition - as WFP faces further pipeline breaks. The country operation has a US$398.9 million funding shortfall over the next six months.  

Sudan: There are 25 million people – half the population – facing acute hunger in Sudan with famine confirmed in areas. WFP assists an average of 4.2 million people each month – including 1.8 million in famine or famine risk areas. Pipeline breaks are imminent, and WFP urgently requires US$600 million over the next six months to further scale up support to around 8 million people per month – that’s what is needed to push back the threat of famine spreading.