- Conflicts drive global hunger to record levels, says Oxfam
- Warring parties weaponizing food, blocking aid in crises
- Conflict, climate, and economic instability worsen hunger
Hunger caused by conflicts throughout the world has reached record highs, according to a new Oxfam report, which accuses warring parties of weaponizing food and preventing relief from reaching victims.
According to research published by a UK-based charity on World Food Day on Wednesday, between 7,000 and 21,000 people are likely to die each day from hunger in conflict-affected nations.
Titled Food Wars, it investigated 54 conflict-affected nations, concluding that they account for nearly all 281.6 million people suffering from severe hunger today. The conflict has also significantly contributed to forced relocation in these nations, reaching 117 million people.
Oxfam emphasized that violence not only exacerbates hunger but that warring parties are actively using food as a weapon, targeting food, water, and energy infrastructure and preventing food aid from reaching those in need.
In September, three humanitarian agencies warned of “a starvation crisis of historic proportions” during Sudan’s civil war, while the number of households in Gaza experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity is the highest ever recorded internationally since the end of last year.
As conflict rages around the world, starvation has become a lethal weapon wielded by warring parties against international laws,” said Oxfam’s Emily Farr, a food and economic security expert.
“Today’s food crises are primarily contrived. Nearly half a million people in Gaza, where 83 percent of essential food aid is now not reaching them, and more than three-quarters of a million in Sudan are starving as the disastrous impacts of wars on food are expected to last for decades.”
The analysis indicated that the crises of war, displacement, and starvation occur in countries that rely substantially on primary product exports—for example, gold and livestock account for 95 percent of Sudan’s export profits. Mining operations have resulted in violent confrontations, causing people to leave their homes as the deteriorated and contaminated landscapes became unlivable.
According to Oxfam, this highlights the inadequacies of peace-building initiatives based on an economic liberalization paradigm aimed at attracting foreign investment and supporting export-driven economies, which frequently exacerbates inequality.
“Large-scale private investment – both foreign and domestic – has often exacerbated political and economic instability, as investors seize control over land and water, displacing local populations,” Farr pointed out.
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Conflict frequently exacerbates other crises, such as climate change, economic instability, and inequality. The report concluded that climate-related calamities such as droughts and floods, linked with rising global food costs caused by pandemic shutdowns and disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine war, have exacerbated hunger crises in East and Southern Africa.
Oxfam warned that the worldwide goal of “zero hunger” by 2030 is becoming increasingly unrealistic. It urged the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to prosecute people guilty of “starvation crimes” under international law.
To stop the food insecurity and war cycle, global leaders must address the core causes of conflict, such as colonial legacies, injustices, human rights violations, and inequality, rather than presenting superficial remedies, Farr stated.
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