Starving in Silence: The Case for an African Commission Resolution on Conflict-Induced Starvation in Africa

An advocacy piece

 

Maram Mahdi

Harry Mwesigwa

Sohna Jawara

 

1  Introduction

Starvation is no longer reducible to drought, market failure or developmental lag in Africa. In conflict settings, hunger has been engineered as a weapon of war. Civilians are deprived of the means of survival not by accident but by design, through siege, the obstruction of relief convoys, the deliberate destruction of crops, and the targeting of marketplaces. The implications are stark, violating the most basic rights to dignity, health and life. In 2025, approximately 147 million people globally experienced acute food insecurity as a result of conflict.

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Relearning conflict-related sexual violence: expanding the lens of violence

Lesego-SekhuAuthor: Lesego Sekhu
Research Assistant, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation

Given the severity of conflict-related sexual violence during intra-state and inter-state conflicts in the last decade, transitional justice and peacebuilding efforts have directed resources to investigating this form of sexual and gender-based violence. They aim to create measures to both prevent and address the consequences of these atrocities. Notwithstanding the intention, the conventional understanding of conflict-related sexual violence is flawed and neglects the continuities and diversity of violence that permits continued impunity for sexual and gender-based violence during conflict.

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