Conflict and hunger

How does conflict cause hunger?

Conflict is the main driver of hunger in most of the world’s food crises, with continued insecurity across the Middle East and ongoing unrest across countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.  

Food insecurity worsens when fighting drives large numbers of people from their homes, land and livelihoods, and when it restricts life-saving assistance reaching those who need it most.

In fact, armed conflict and violence remain the primary drivers of acute food insecurity in 12 out of 13 hunger hotspots identified by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The same report highlighted a risk of famine persists in four countries or territories in 2026. 

The United Nations Security Council acknowledged the link between conflict and hunger, and condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war, when it adopted its landmark Resolution 2417 in 2018. This resolution recognizes the need to break the vicious cycle of armed conflict and hunger, and to establish accountability for those who exploit starvation for their own ends.

How can we end conflict and hunger?

WFP has repeatedly emphasised that food is the pathway to peace. It is an investment in people and the planet that supports reconstruction, promote development and helps to tackle the roots causes of conflict.

Initial findings from a joint research partnership between WFP and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicated that WFP’s work contributed to improving the prospects for peace by: 

• Enhancing access and supply to contested natural resources such as water and land.
• Bolstering social cohesion and resolving grievances within and between communities.
• Increasing opportunity and inclusion, including for youth.
• Increasing trust between citizens and states by strengthening state accountability and service delivery.

As well as investing in research to identify best practices for achieving peace, WFP also supports and partners with peace actors who are mandated and equipped to directly address the structural drivers of conflict and vulnerability.

2020 Nobel Peace Prize

WFP’s efforts to build pathways to peace were formally recognized in October 2020, when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict”.