Whatever happened to the U.S. famine alert system that Trump shut down, then reopened
The U.S. Famine Early Warning System (FEWS NET) has faced operational inconsistencies, including periods of unavailability and the omission of data for countries like Somalia, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Critics and former officials express concern over the lack of transparency and the potential impact on global humanitarian aid efforts.
Why it matters
The reliability of famine tracking systems is critical for international aid organizations to prevent mass starvation and manage humanitarian crises.
In February 2025, we reported that "A respected U.S. famine warning system is 'currently unavailable.' " That system is known as FEWS NET and ran a database that could pinpoint areas where the risk of famine is high, enabling aid groups to prepare for relief. As NPR noted: "The website that once served up detailed, color-coded maps of hunger hot spots around the world now bears a stark message: The site and its data are "currently unavailable."
Over the next week, we'll be looking back at some of our past global health and development stories to see "whatever happened to ..."
FEWS NET did eventually come back online. But now there have been some new developments. This is the first story in our annual series of follow-ups.
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