Hunger is increasingly used as a weapon of war, with over 20,000 incidents of food-related violence documented in the past eight years. Targeted attacks include strikes on markets and food distribution systems in countries like Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti.
Key points
Hunger exploited as a weapon of war
Over 20,000 incidents of food-related violence since 2018
Attacks on markets and food distribution systems
Targeted countries include Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti
UN resolution 2417 condemns starvation of civilians
Hunger is being increasingly exploited as a weapon of war with more than 20,000 documented incidents of “food-related violence” in the past eight years, new analysis reveals.
Attacks include 1,261 strikes on markets used by families for daily groceries and 863 incidents in which food distribution systems were targeted and workers killed.
The analysis looked at the period since UN resolution 2417 unanimously condemned the deliberate starvation of civilians in 2018. It found starvation is being increasingly weaponised with the supply of food routinely targeted in Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon and Haiti among others.
Data compiled by Insecurity Insight uncovered 21,403 incidents in 15 countries where food supplies have been deliberately targeted since 2018, when the UN security council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the unlawful denial of humanitarian aid as a tactic of warfare.
Researchers discovered 1,909 military strikes on farmland, and another 563 on water infrastructure vital for crops, which affected food security in more than 42 countries and territories.
The destroyed market, reduced to piles of corrugated metal sheets, in Lankien, Jonglei state, South Sudan, 23 April 2026
The remains of a market at Lankien, Jonglei state, South Sudan, after an airstrike in April 2026. Photograph: Florence Miettaux/The Guardian
States with the highest recorded incidents are the occupied Palestinian Territory with 9,013 attacks, followed by Yemen – 1,863 incidents – and Sudan, where food was targeted in 1,605 strikes. One of the most recent attacks in Sudan occurred on Tuesday when a drone struck a busy market, killing 28 people.
Witnesses said the main market in the town of Ghubaysh, West Kordofan, appeared to have been deliberately targeted by the military while it was crowded with civilians.
Q&A
What are the statistics on food-related violence in recent years?
There have been over 21,403 documented incidents of food-related violence in 15 countries since 2018.
Which countries are most affected by the weaponization of hunger?
Countries like Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, and Haiti have been significantly affected by the targeting of food supplies.
What types of attacks are classified as food-related violence?
Attacks include strikes on markets, food distribution systems, farmland, and water infrastructure vital for crops.
What was the significance of UN resolution 2417 in 2018?
UN resolution 2417 condemned the deliberate starvation of civilians and aimed to address the unlawful denial of humanitarian aid in conflict situations.
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Other countries that documented repeated attacks on food supplies include Syria, which saw 1,538 incidents, many attributed to government or Russian military forces before the fall of the Assad regime; and Mali, where 1,415 attacks were recorded as the ruling junta struggled to maintain its grip on power in the west African country.
The research, to be released on Monday to coincide with the anniversary of the UN resolution, describes a “marked increase” in attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems.
Giulia Contò, conflict and hunger advocacy manager at Action Against Hunger, said: “Famine in Gaza and Sudan has captured global headlines over the past two years, but most conflict-induced hunger never does. It unfolds daily, with relentless attacks on the systems communities depend on to survive: livestock looted, markets bombed, aid convoys blocked.”
A large fire destroys a livestock market in El Fasher, in Sudan’s North Darfur state.
Fire destroys a livestock market in El Fasher, in Sudan’s North Darfur state, in September 2023 after an attack by the Rapid Support Forces. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Researchers also found that civilians were frequently targeted as they attempted to obtain food. Between October 2023 and the end of 2025, more than 10,300 people were killed or injured trying to access aid.
Christina Wille, director at Insecurity Insight, urged the international community to implement the UN resolution, saying that it had a responsibility “to act upon violations”.
She said: “It is not that resolution 2417 has failed, but that member states have failed to implement it, and to demonstrate the political will to prevent those very same actions that the international community claims to oppose.”
“Women in particular are faced with some of the toughest choices: unreliable access to food might mean travelling longer distances, increasing risks to their safety in volatile contexts.
“Women who were primarily carers are forced to become breadwinners, often while reducing their food intake to prioritise their family members. Without enough food, children are unable to play, learn or grow, and the consequences on their development will last a lifetime.”
People, mostly women and children, wait for food aid in Sana’a, Yemen, with a young girl leaning into an empty serving vessel and facing the camera looking sad.
Waiting for food rations on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen, where prolonged conflict has meant millions of people living with extreme hunger. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA
Conflict remains the primary driver of hunger, accounting for more than half of all people facing severe hunger.
Last month, UN agencies warned that a growing share of global hunger is becoming entrenched in a small group of conflict-hit countries, with two-thirds of people facing acute food insecurity concentrated in just 10 nations.
