The Links Between Conflict and Hunger

Links Between Conflict and Hunger War and Poverty 1What 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

We will focus on VIOLENT conflict. Understanding it, what it is, how to prevent itwhen possible, and how to deal it in terms of hunger 2What 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 peaceUnstable peace/latent conflict High tensionOpen conflict

What can cause conflict?Opposing interests Usually aggravated by socio-cultural differencesReligion, class, ethnicity, language, and political views Socio-economic and political inequalitiesPower imbalance - concentration of power in the hands of very few peopleCoercive state power

Competition for resourcesFertile land Energy resources Water

opposing interests and capabilities (specific sociocultural differences and similarities between the parties), contact and salience (awareness), significant change in the balance of powers, individual perceptions and expectations, a disrupted structure of expectations, a will-to-conflict.It is aggravated by: sociocultural dissimilarity, cognitive imbalance, status difference, coercive state power. It is inhibited by: sociocultural similarity, decentralized or weak, coercive state power. It is triggered by: perception of opportunity, threat, or injustice, surprise.

4Who does conflict involve and affect?Often caught up in the midst of conflict Political groups Ethnic, religious or language groups Regional or class groupsVulnerable groups (those w/o power...)Women, children, the poorest of the poorChildren of war -> Child SoldiersVictimization of WomenPoor people without any options

5What 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

Links between Hunger and Conflict War and conflict destroys a countrys assetsLand and water Biological resourcesHuman Capital (the people), e.g. Cambodia

Government expenditures:Lower investments in education, health, agriculture and environmental protection (e.g. buying guns vs. building schools)

Links between Hunger and Conflict Food and economic insecurityNatural 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)

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 conflictsRe-building war-torn societies

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 inaccessibilityspecially true for farmers (no farmers, no food!)Government instabilityMore corruption. Diversion of donor assistance... 12Food Wars and Food as a WeaponIncludes the use of hunger as a weapon or hunger that follows from destructive conflict -Messer, Cohen, DCosta, 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

Todays examples include:Zimbabwe Sudan (Darfur)Sierra Leone Afghanistan Iraq

This is not the same as the food wars/fight we had at the school cafeteria. This is serious and an ill intended way to manipulate people 14Delivering 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

15Food 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 Early warning. Contingency planning Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy International Intervention (e.g. Rwandathe international community failed)

16Delivering 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

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The Aftermath of WarLand mines have to be removed

Destroyed infrastructure most be re-built (roads, bridges, water systems, etc)

Housing re-built

After a war communities peace is still fragile, without the essential infrastructure and food conflict can reverge 25The Aftermath of WarAgricultural systems and food markets have to be restored

Communities revitalized

Children back to school Parents back to work Deal with psychological consequences of war After a war communities peace is still fragile, without the essential infrastructure and food conflict can reverge 26Prevention 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.

Early warning: the international community must pay close attention to what is going on in the world. Learn from Rwanda, Somalia and Ethiopia. The international community was a big no-show!Contingency planning Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy International Intervention (e.g. Rwandathe international community failed)

27Prevention and Resolution Contingency planning Pre and post war aid

International Intervention when it is really needed (e.g. Rwandathe international community failed)Early warning: the international community must pay close attention to what is going on in the world. Learn from Rwanda, Somalia and Ethiopia. The international community was a big no-show!Contingency planning Diplomacy, diplomacy, diplomacy International Intervention (e.g. Rwandathe international community failed)

28Conflict can affect everybody regardless of raceEurope: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.

ExamplesColombia: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

31http://video.app.msn.com/watch/video/un-rep-hears-tales-of-rape-in-congo/6we1oy4