By Patrick Githinji
Conflicts in Africa cause food insecurity because they disrupt agricultural production, displace farmers from their land, destroy infrastructure like irrigation systems, hinder access to markets, drive up food prices, and divert resources away from development towards military efforts, ultimately leaving people unable to access sufficient food supplies.
The ongoing fighting between government forces and the M23 rebels in Goma and Bukavu, the two major cities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has had profound and far-reaching impacts on food systems and food security in both Rwanda and DRC, as well as across the continent.
It has disrupted agricultural activities, which are the backbone of food production in the area. Farmers have been forced to abandon their fields due to the violence, leading to a significant reduction in crop yields. The destruction of infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, has further hampered the transportation of food supplies, making it difficult to get food to markets and distribution centres. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), conflict cost Africa over $120 billion worth of agricultural production during the last third of the 20th century.
Conflict in developing countries stems from a constellation of factors, including ethnic rivalries and environmental scarcities, as well as intergroup competition over resources such as land, water, and development aid.
In conflict situations, there is usually some combination of perceived unfairness in resource distribution, injury to a group’s sense of cultural identity, struggle for control over access to high-value primary resources, and a precipitous decline in household incomes due to a natural disaster or a plunge in the price of key mineral or agricultural commodities.
Studies of the economic correlates of war—or of the motives and opportunities of the combatants— rarely investigate food insecurity directly, although they often find that conflict is strongly associated with factors closely related to food insecurity, for example, high infant mortality, destitution, inequality, and declining per capita incomes. In 2024, the plague of conflict in various places in Africa put millions of people in danger of starvation, outstripping available international aid. The 21st century has brought a new perennial plague: global warming, causing severe weather events like flooding and drought that disrupt food production. Both conflict and climate change are human-caused maladies that can be ended through human actions. For the foreseeable future, however, humanitarian groups can only track areas of the highest danger and prepare mitigation measures.
The tracking organisation that proactively identifies danger zones for countries that face famine worldwide is the World Food Programme (WFP). The WFP keeps a list of ‘hotspot’ countries that face life-threatening conditions because of food shortages.
The countries that were added to the 2024 list are the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia. Listed in 2023 and the remaining ‘hunger hotspots’ in 2024 are Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia and Zimbabwe.
Of the 18 countries identified in 2024 by the WFP, all but five are African. Nearly all of the countries are involved in armed conflicts or experience political violence.
Nigeria is one such country, engaged in a decades-long battle with the Islamic terrorists al-Shabaab.
On the eastern end of the Sahel, conflict continues in the Horn of Africa, driving hunger in Ethiopia in particular. Of the countries of highest concern in terms of famine, three of the top four are African: Mali, South Sudan and the Sudan. The DRC’s eastern provinces are Africa’s area of primary concern and face critical levels of acute food insecurity as well.
The instability in the DRC has broader implications for food security across Africa. The DRC is a significant producer of various agricultural products, and disruptions in its food production can lead to shortages and increased prices in neighbouring countries. Moreover, the conflict has diverted attention and resources away from long-term agricultural development projects, which are crucial for improving food security on the continent.
The conflict in Goma and Bukavu is a stark reminder of how violence and instability can have cascading effects on food systems and food security. Addressing the root causes of the conflict and restoring peace in the region are essential for ensuring that people in both the DRC and Rwanda, as well as across Africa, have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.
Patrick is a digital communications expert based in Nairobi.