Deliberate Famine Should Be a War Crime, UN Expert Says

By Tharanga YakupitiyageUNITED NATIONS, Oct 25 2017 (IPS)The deliberate starvation of civilians could amount to a war crime and should be prosecuted, said an independent UN human rights expert. In a new report, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Hilal Elver examined the right to food in conflict situations and found a grim picture depicting the most severe humanitarian crisis since the UN was established.Hilal Elver. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider“Contrary to popular belief, causalities resulting directly from combat usually make up only a small proportion of deaths in conflict zones, with most individuals in fact perishing from hunger and disease,” she said.Conflicts have proliferated around the world and with them has come a rise in food insecurity.According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the proportion of undernourished people living in countries in conflict and protracted crises is almost three times higher than that in other developing countries.In five conflict-stricken countries alone, approximately 20 million are facing famine and starvation.Another estimated 70 million people in 45 countries currently require emergency food assistance, a 40 percent increase from 2015.Since the human right to food is a universal one, Elver noted that countries and other parties to conflicts must act and avoid using food as a weapon of war.“If the famine [occurs] from deliberate action by state or other players, using food as a wea...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - October 25, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tharanga Yakupitiyage Tags: Aid Armed Conflicts Combating Desertification and Drought Crime & Justice Financial Crisis Food & Agriculture Global Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news