Globally, hunger and malnutrition have risen steadily since 2015, affecting around 800m people in 2021. As a result, the estimated cost of meeting humanitarian needs globally has risen by 25% in the last year alone. The world is not on track to fulfil the global goal to end hunger by 2030.
Conflict and violence are the main drivers of hunger, while extreme weather events, economic shocks and soaring food prices all contribute to this severe food and malnutrition crisis.
Over 85% of the 258m people facing crisis or worse level food insecurity in 58 countries in 2022 live in countries affected by conflict and insecurity. This remains the number one driver of hunger for more than 117m people. In 2022, populations experienced famine conditions across seven countries – Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Haiti, Nigeria and Burkina Faso – all of which face protracted conflict or insecurity. The alarming resurgence of hunger in the world goes hand-in-hand with the rising number and intensity of armed conflicts, and the flagrant disregard of international humanitarian law (IHL) by warring parties, of which civilians are the main victims.
Armed conflict and insecurity – including intercommunal violence, organised crime and other forms of violence – erode food security and nutrition in multiple ways. In some cases the impact of conflict is direct, with armed parties using administrative measures or violent actions with the intent of severely obstructing access to food and essential services, in effect using hunger as a weapon of war.
More widespread are the impacts of conflict on disrupting livelihoods and food production, displacing communities, and limiting access to food markets and health care. Such behaviours include destroying crops and pasture, looting productive assets, mine contamination and the destruction of basic services and infrastructure. All these behaviours may amount to violations of humanitarian law when they take place in times of armed conflict.
Under humanitarian law, parties to any armed conflict (whether international or not) must actively avoid targeting civilians and civilian objects that are indispensable to the survival of populations, such as foodstuffs, crops, livestock, agricultural assets, drinking-water installations and supplies, and irrigation works. Parties to conflicts must also guarantee humanitarian access to populations in need. In addition, international human rights law, which applies in times of both peace and conflict, guarantees fundamental rights such as the rights to food and water. Food is a basic human right. We need it to survive, but in a world full of conflict, millions of people are going hungry, with children paying the highest price. Around one in five child deaths globally are attributable to wasting, where a child is severely underweight for their height. This condition, which affects around 150 children globally is easily treatable but the majority of children affected do not have access to treatment.
Beyond the period of active conflict itself, armed conflict leaves a legacy that extends well into the post-conflict period, affecting the likelihood of return of displaced persons, the livelihoods of civilians and the success of reintegration and reconciliation.
Five years ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2417, which recognises the link between conflict and hunger and that the use of starvation as a weapon of war constitutes a war crime. However, conflict-induced hunger has been on the rise ever since. While it has been established that conflict drives hunger and malnutrition, evidence identifying the complex connections between conflict and hunger remains scarce and lacks specificity in terms of the patterns and violent actions that negatively impact food and nutrition security.
This report aims to contribute to filling this gap by detailing specific actions in a wide range of contexts. We know that not only does conflict drive hunger and malnutrition, hunger can also lead to violence and fuel conflict. Reducing the impact of conflict on food security can also contribute to sustainable peace.