Euroviews. Is hunger the deadliest weapon of modern conflict?

In the 5th Century, Sun Tzu wrote about how starvation could be used as a tactic of war, to starve out ones’ enemy until they are desperate enough to surrender.

While other aspects of war have changed, moving from horseback to tanks and swords to machine guns, it appears that removing the basic needs to survive remains in use.

Some 783 million people around the world do not have enough food to eat, and more than 85% of those people live in conflict-affected countries.

This is not a coincidence.

Starvation is being deliberately used by aggressors in conflict zones from Gaza and Ukraine to Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2018, the UN passed Resolution 2417, recognising the link between conflict and famine. Today, conflict remains the main driver of acute and chronic food insecurity.

The weaponisation of hunger must be recognised in the ways that key actors, such as the EU and UN, engage in humanitarian work and the pursuit of peace.

While we have seen substantial increases in the money dedicated to humanitarian food assistance, particularly in the conflict in Ukraine, the lack of recognition of this link continues to hinder effective support.

Negotiations over humanitarian aid continue to cast doubt over the long-term value of food aid compared to other types of aid, and yet, in modern conflict, addressing food insecurity is at the heart of the solution.

In August, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggested the deliberate starvation of Gazans could be “justified and moral,” in pursuit of the country’s objectives, following the accusation by the International Criminal Court that the Israeli leadership is deliberately using hunger as a tactic of war.

Actions taken by Israel to impede the delivery of