Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned Tuesday that hunger is increasingly being used as a “very cheap weapon” in armed conflicts. He denounced attacks on food infrastructure and warned of worsening global food insecurity, particularly due to the war in the Middle East.
Speaking at an event dedicated to food security on the sidelines of Nutrition Week in Rome, the Spanish leader recalled that more than 700 million people worldwide suffer from food insecurity, while millions of children are affected by malnutrition. He insisted on the massive and structural nature of the current crisis.
“Hunger today is exactly that: a weapon,” said Pedro Sánchez, calling it a “very cheap weapon” and a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law.” He said modern conflicts increasingly target food production and distribution systems.
The head of the Spanish government indicated that more than 20,000 attacks against markets, agricultural land and food supply networks had been recorded over the last eight years. He notably mentioned the situation in Gaza, accusing certain actors of seeking to “win a war by starving an entire people into submission”.
Pedro Sánchez also criticized the treatment reserved, according to him, to members of a humanitarian flotilla recently arrested while trying to deliver aid. He spoke of acts of “humiliation” and ill-treatment, without specifying further those responsible.
The Spanish leader also warned of the economic consequences of the conflicts, in particular the disruptions of supply chains and the closure of strategic trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, these tensions could trigger a new global food crisis in the coming months.
He stressed that Europeans are already feeling the effects through rising food prices, while other regions of the world are experiencing much more serious impacts. He notably indicated that the prices of nitrogen fertilizers would have increased by up to 50% due to tensions on the Strait of Hormuz.
Finally, Pedro Sánchez insisted on the need for a reinforced international commitment against hunger, affirming that Spain had increased its development aid despite a drop in overall contributions. He concluded by warning that decisions made today will determine whether the world faces another food crisis in the months to come.
