Famine as a Collateral Damage of War

Abstract

This contribution intends to assess the interplay between the proportionality rule and the prohibition of starvation, detailing how proportionality assessments undertaken by warring parties prior to launching attacks must take into consideration the food security situation of the affected civilian population, and the possibility of causing starvation. The article provides and analysis of the prohibition of starvation included in the Additional Protocols, outlining its inherent limitations. It then argues the need of evaluating the so-called “conflict-induced hunger” under the lens of the proportionality rule and gives an overview of how parties can include the evaluation of food insecurity and malnutrition levels in their assessment of collateral damages.