Pedro Sánchez denounces the use of hunger as a "cheap weapon of war" and warns of a risk of a global food crisis

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned on Tuesday that hunger is increasingly being used as a "very cheap weapon" in armed conflicts. He denounced attacks on food infrastructure and cautioned against worsening global food insecurity, particularly due to the war in the Middle East.

Speaking at a food security event on the sidelines of Nutrition Week in Rome, the Spanish leader noted that more than 700 million people worldwide suffer from food insecurity, while millions of children are affected by malnutrition. He emphasized the massive and structural nature of the current crisis.

“Hunger today is exactly that: a weapon,” said Pedro Sánchez, calling it a “very cheap weapon” and a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.” He asserted that modern conflicts are increasingly targeting food production and distribution systems.

The Spanish Prime Minister stated that more than 20,000 attacks against markets, farmland, and food supply networks had been recorded over the past eight years. He specifically mentioned the situation in Gaza, accusing certain actors of seeking to "win a war by starving an entire people into submission."

Pedro Sánchez also criticized what he described as the treatment of members of a humanitarian flotilla recently arrested while attempting to deliver aid. He referred to acts of "humiliation" and ill-treatment, without specifying who was responsible.

The Spanish leader also warned of the economic consequences of the conflicts, including disruptions to supply chains and the closure of strategic trade routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. He believes these tensions could trigger a new global food crisis in the coming months.

He emphasized that Europeans were already feeling the effects through rising food prices, while other regions of the world were experiencing far more severe impacts. He specifically indicated that nitrogen fertilizer prices had reportedly increased by up to 50% due to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Finally, Pedro Sánchez stressed the need for a strengthened international commitment to combat hunger, stating that Spain had increased its development aid despite a decline in overall contributions. He concluded by warning that the decisions made today will determine whether the world faces a new food crisis in the coming months.