Hunger must never be a weapon of war, UN warns at Africa Summit

UN Secretary‑General António Guterres has cautioned that hunger should never be used as a tool of war, speaking via video message at the UN Food Systems Summit in Ethiopia. He emphasized that conflict zones such as Gaza and Sudan are exacerbating food insecurity across the continent.

Guterres, according to the Associated Press, noted that around 280 million Africans are malnourished, with nearly 3.4 million at risk of famine, despite global hunger easing slightly in 2024. Climate change, broken supply chains, and protracted wars are worsening the situation.

At the summit, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf urged donor countries to invest at least 10% of GDP in agriculture to build nutritional resilience. He warned that one-third of the world’s population still cannot afford a healthy diet, while one-third of all food is lost or wasted.

The UN‑backed UN Food Systems Summit brought together heads of state, UN agencies, civil society, and the private sector to address food system transformation as key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.