Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Carl Skau, acting head of the World Food Program, described a "vicious conflict-hunger cycle" during a visit to Somalia, where war generates hunger and hunger fosters further violence. This pattern is evident in conflict zones including Somalia, Sudan, Haiti, Gaza, Mali, and Myanmar, where agriculture and humanitarian efforts are hindered by ongoing violence and instability.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the UN Security Council that critical food systems—farms, ports, markets, storage, and shipping routes—are increasingly targeted in conflicts, causing economic consequences beyond the battlefields. The surge in armed conflicts has left at least 266 million people facing acute food insecurity, the highest figure since World War II. For the first time this century, famine has been confirmed simultaneously in Sudan and Gaza. In 12 of the 13 major hunger hotspots identified by the UN, violence and conflict are the main drivers of food crises.
Disruptions extend to global trade routes, where attacks on grain shipments through the Black Sea have reduced Bosporus traffic by 40 percent from the previous year, affecting key grain exports from Russia and Ukraine. The Red Sea has seen assaults on commercial vessels, while restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz impact a significant portion of global oil and fertilizer trade. Disruptions in these three maritime chokepoints—Black Sea, Red Sea, and Strait of Hormuz—trigger cascading effects in global energy and food markets, raising prices and reducing food availability, especially in import-dependent developing countries.
According to Mr. Skau, these combined pressures threaten food security globally, with vulnerable populations facing severe risks of hunger and malnutrition due to interconnected conflicts and supply chain disruptions.