Starvation in Armed Conflict Today
Today, every instance of acute food insecurity is, at its core, man-made. War is the single biggest contributor.
Armed conflict can disrupt access to adequate food in a variety of ways. But increasingly, civilians are targeted deliberately: access to food, water and the necessities for survival are restricted for military and political gain.
The following case studies reveal a disturbing pattern of deliberate starvation in contemporary armed conflict. The frequency and scale of starvation-related conduct underscores the need for greater international cooperation to coordinate the fight against impunity and hold perpetrators to account. It underlines just how significant ratification of the Starvation Amendment is for ensuring the efficacy of international justice initiatives.
Ethiopia (Tigray)
Non-international armed conflict (2020 – ) Estimated starvation-related casualties: between 150,000 and 200,000 to 13 March 2022 Estimated number persons in need of humanitarian assistance: 9,4 million across Amhara, Afar and Tigray as of May 2022 Violence erupted...
South Sudan
Non-international armed conflict (2013-) Estimated number persons in need of humanitarian assistance: 8,9 million as of March 2022 Less than three years after gaining its independence in 2011, a civil war erupted in South Sudan in December 2013. Fighting followed...