Links Between Conflict and Hunger

1. War and Poverty Links Between Conflict and Hunger

2. What is conflict ? • “Conflict : The differences and clashes between needs, interest, perceptions and activities of actors which are part of social life” —Verstegen, 2001 • Embedded in society - It is MAN MADE • Can be violent or non-violent

3. What is conflict ? • Poverty and hunger can be both a cause and consequence of conflict • Hunger and violent conflict —> Famines • Runs through various stages of escalation: • Stable peace • Unstable peace/latent conflict • High tension • Open conflict

4. What can cause conflict? • Opposing interests • Usually aggravated by socio-cultural differences • Religion, class, ethnicity, language, and political views • Socio-economic and political inequalities • Power imbalance - concentration of power in the hands of very few people • Coercive state power • Competition for resources • Fertile land • Energy resources • Water

5. Who does conflict involve and affect? • Often caught up in the midst of conflict • Political groups • Ethnic, religious or language groups • Regional or class groups • Vulnerable groups (those w/o power...) • Women, children, the poorest of the poor • Children of war -> Child Soldiers • Victimization of Women • Poor people without any options

6. What can trigger conflict ? • Perception of: • Opportunity • Threat • Injustice • Fear is a powerful weapon • The use of media and education to promote socio-cultural difference with ill intentions

9. Links between Hunger and Conflict • War and conflict destroys a country’s assets • Land and water • Biological resources • Human Capital (the people), e.g. Cambodia • Government expenditures: • Lower investments in education, health, agriculture and environmental protection (e.g. buying guns vs. building schools)

10. Links between Hunger and Conflict • Food and economic insecurity • Natural resource scarcity — can itself be a source of conflict • When dominant groups seize the land and food resources from marginalized portions of the population => often leads to violence. (e.g. Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia)

11. Breaking the link between hunger and conflict? • What comes first? hunger or conflict? • Conflicts can lead to hunger and reduce food production (e.g. Zimbabwe) • Hunger and lack of access to food often times leads to violent conflicts (e.g. Food riots in Haiti) • Fighting hunger will require both: • Prevention and resolution of violent conflicts • Re-building war-torn societies

12. How can conflict lead to food insecurity? • Massive numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and refugees • People losing their assets (e.g. homes) • Destruction of markets • Workplace inaccessibility—specially true for farmers (no farmers, no food!) • Government instability • More corruption. • Diversion of donor assistance...

14. “Food Wars” and “Food as a Weapon” • “Includes the use of hunger as a weapon or hunger that follows from destructive conflict” -Messer, Cohen, D’Costa, 1998 • 1980 and 1990 famines in Africa, Asia, Central and South America • Post-conflict economies = lack of resources • Chronic food underproduction • Food insecurity • E.g. Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Mexico • Today’s examples include: • Zimbabwe • Sudan (Darfur) • Sierra Leone • Afghanistan • Iraq

15. Delivering Food Aid in Conflict areas • Aid must be delivered in ways that prevent competition leading to conflict • Food in the hands of women • Distributing the aid in ways that do NOT prolong the conflict • Food to non-combat population

16. Food Aid in conflict areas • The UN and other humanitarian agencies provide aid to civilian population to prevent famine deaths • Food aid is very difficult • Combats will hijack the aid and use it as means of war to reward supporters, starve opponents, and keep the conflict alive • Aid workers are also victims of the violence • Hard and expensive to recruit people working on this line of work

17. Delivering Food Aid in Conflict areas • Accountability from those delivering the food • Ensure the food gets to those who need it • Help with reconstruction assistance • Food for work . Building social capital by working with communities

25. The Aftermath of War • Land mines have to be removed • Destroyed infrastructure most be re-built (roads, bridges, water systems, etc) • Housing re-built

26. The Aftermath of War • Agricultural systems and food markets have to be restored • Communities revitalized • Children back to school • Parents back to work • Deal with psychological consequences of war

27. Prevention and Resolution • Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy! • Conflict early warning systems that include social, political, and economic factors • What are the major groups involved? What are their claims? Which groups are most vulnerable ? • Bolivian separatist conflict. Possible civil war.

28. Prevention and Resolution • Contingency planning • Pre and post war aid • International Intervention when it is really needed (e.g. Rwanda—the international community failed)

29. Conflict can affect everybody regardless of race Europe: • Former Yugoslavia: Ethnic cleansing. • In the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict between the three main ethnic groups, • the Serbs (Orthodox Christians), Croats (Catholics), and Albanians (Muslims), • resulted in genocide committed by the Serbs against the Muslims in Bosnia.

31. Examples • Colombia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uxEP7C4wxk Zimbabwe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ubJp6rmUYM Sudan: Foreign Aid Workers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe7r65XebAA

32. http://video.app.msn.com/watch/video/un-rep-hears-tales-of-rape-in-congo/6we1oy4http://video.app.msn.com/watch/video/un-rep-hears-tales-of-rape-in-congo/6we1oy4