GENEVA, March 17. /TASS/. An all-time high number of people - 45 million - could be pushed to acute hunger if the conflict in the Middle East does not end by the middle of the year and oil prices continue to hover over $100 a barrel, the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations said.

"If this conflict continues, it will send shockwaves across the globe, and families who already cannot afford their next meal will be hit the hardest," said WFP Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Carl Skau. "Without an adequately funded humanitarian response, it could spell catastrophe for millions already on the edge."

These would add to the 318 million people around the world who are already food insecure.

The virtual shipping standstill in the Strait of Hormuz and mounting risks to Red Sea maritime traffic are already increasing energy, fuel, and fertilizer costs, deepening hunger beyond the Middle East. The conflict reverberates far and wide — and the world’s most vulnerable people are the ones who will be most exposed to its ripple effects.

According to WFP, countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are the most vulnerable due to their reliance on food and fuel imports. Projections indicate an increase of 21% in food-insecure people for West and Central Africa and 17% for East and Southern Africa. An increase of 24% is forecast for Asia.

Sudan, for example, imports around 80% of its wheat - a higher price for this staple will push more families into hunger. In Somalia, a country in the midst of severe drought, the price of some essential commodities has risen by at least 20% since the conflict began, according to local reports. Both are countries with high levels of food insecurity that have also experienced famine in recent years.