Intense violence, worsens food insecurity in conflict areas
New York, USA (PANA) - Attacks harming civilians and civilian infrastructure leave fields abandoned, disrupt food ssissupply chains, drive up prices and destroy livelihoods, said the UN Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Speaking on the critical issue of conflict-induced hunger, Ms. Joyce Msuya told the UN Security Council Open Debate on Conflict-Related Food Insecurity that the more intense the violence, the worse the food insecurity.
The world’s most extreme food crises – including the famines in parts of the Gaza Strip and Sudan – are driven primarily by armed conflict and violence. In South Sudan, the risk of famine persists in some counties affected by localised violence.
“Hunger is exposing people to greater risks of sexual exploitation and abuse and forced displacement as people struggle simply to feed themselves. Women are especially impacted, often going without to prioritise their families,” Ms. Msuya said.
In Yemen, she said, where 17 million are going hungry and another 1 million are forecast to, damage to infrastructure has impeded imports, ongoing conflict is displacing people and exacerbating economic decline, while extreme humanitarian access constraints and insecurity limit aid delivery in critical parts of the country.
In Syria, agricultural production has been severely affected by damaged infrastructure, restricted access to farmland due to explosive ordnance, and high levels of displacement.
In armed conflicts, international humanitarian law is clear: Civilians and civilian objects must be protected. The use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.
So is attacking, destroying, removing or rendering useless objects indispensable to civilian survival. Resolution 2417, adopted in 2018, reinforces these obligations.
And in situations of violence in which the rules of war don’t apply, international human rights law and minimum humanitarian standards play an equally vital role in preventing and addressing hunger.
Ms. Msuya underlined that humanitarian action is also essential to prevent and address hunger in conflict. When humanitarian access is denied, hunger and malnutrition rise – often with devastating consequences for civilians.
She said that conflict parties must allow the rapid and unimpeded passage of impartial humanitarian relief and ensure humanitarians have the freedom of movement needed to carry out their work. Resolution 2417, as well as resolution 2730, adopted last year, reiterate these duties.
She pointed out that one month into the ceasefire in Gaza, the UN and its partners are seizing every opening to save lives. Millions of meals have been provided. Nutrition sites have reopened, and some medical services have resumed, among other progress.
But access is still restricted by limits at border crossings, delays to aid convoys and bureaucratic impediments that slow the entry of vital supplies – and, in some cases, staff.
In Sudan, conflict has shattered food systems and displaced millions. According to the latest IPC analysis, more than 21 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity – the largest such crisis in the world.
Yet many areas remain inaccessible to humanitarians. People trapped between front lines are cut off from assistance and enduring extreme hunger.
“The UN, including OCHA, works relentlessly to secure humanitarian access. We negotiate with parties to conflict, operate notification systems to inform armed actors about humanitarian movements, and coordinate responders on the ground. But these tools can only work if parties are committed to facilitate access and aid operations,” Ms Msuya said.
-0- PANA AR/MA 18Nov2025
