Violence and Water Scarcity Threaten Historic Quadruple Famine

Apr 19, 2017 | Erica Martin and Sara Merken
View Original

An international food crisis is currently unfolding on a scale not seen since World War II. More than 20 million people in Somalia, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen are in danger of famine. UN Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said in March, “We are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations.”

Though each of the cases are different, they have one thing in common: violent conflict. Conflict and its effects, like displacement and disruption of trade, can impact all four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability.