RismadarVoice Reporters, August 26, 2026
The United States has warned that disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could worsen food insecurity in Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa by triggering fertiliser shortages and higher energy costs.
The warning was issued during a United Nations Security Council open debate on food insecurity in New York, where Jennifer Locetta, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the US Mission to the United Nations, expressed concern over the impact of the crisis on global food supplies.
Locetta said attacks and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz were affecting the movement of a significant share of global oil and fertiliser supplies.
She said fertiliser shipments affected by the disruption were critical to agricultural production across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia.
The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Indian Ocean, is a major route for the transportation of energy and agricultural inputs.
According to Locetta, reduced fertiliser availability could translate into lower agricultural production, increased food prices and worsening hunger in vulnerable countries, including Nigeria, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
She also warned that rising fuel costs were placing additional pressure on humanitarian operations in conflict-affected areas.
Locetta said the situation threatened recent gains made by humanitarian organisations and local communities in improving food security, particularly in areas already affected by conflict and economic hardship.
She further cited projections by the World Food Programme that an additional 45 million people could experience acute food insecurity globally as a result of the crisis.
The US envoy also referred to food security challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions of people require humanitarian assistance amid armed conflict and disruptions to aid routes.
In Sudan, she said, access to food had reportedly been used as a weapon of war, stressing the need for safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access to vulnerable populations.
She added that climate-related events, including El Niño, could further expose millions of people to acute hunger.
Locetta said the United States remained committed to supporting global efforts to combat hunger, citing its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2417, adopted in 2018, which addresses conflict-induced food insecurity.
She disclosed that Washington had recently committed more than $1 billion in support to UNICEF and the World Food Programme to address humanitarian, nutrition and food security challenges.
The US, she added, was also exploring measures to mitigate the impact of fertiliser shortages.
“The United States will not abandon the needy or leave them to suffer hunger, whether the result of conflicts or natural disasters,” she said.
The warning comes as concerns mount over the possible spillover effects of tensions in the Middle East on global food and energy markets, particularly if disruptions to shipping persist.
Nigeria could be particularly vulnerable because of its reliance on imported agricultural inputs. The country is already grappling with elevated food prices caused by insecurity in farming communities, high transportation costs, flooding and other economic pressures.
The National Bureau of Statistics reported food inflation at 22.22 per cent in July 2026, while the UN-backed Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment projected that more than 31 million Nigerians could face acute food insecurity between June and August 2026 without urgent intervention.
Agricultural experts and international development agencies have also raised concerns that higher fertiliser and diesel costs could increase production expenses for farmers and ultimately place further pressure on food prices and availability.
For Nigeria, any prolonged disruptifertiliseral fertilizer and energy supply chains could therefore add another layer of pressure to an already fragile food security situation.
