An international charity is urging people around the world to help raise awareness of the impact of the targeting of food supplies in war zones.

The campaign is being led by Action Against Hunger, which has condemned the use of hunger as a weapon targeting innocent civilians.

According to the charity, global conflicts have contributed to nearly 60 per cent of all undernourished people living in conflict zones.

This equates to nearly half a billion people. In some areas battling forces have even resorted to targeting food supplies there, including burning agricultural land, poisoning wells, bombing food markets, obstructing food aid deliveries and ruining harvests.

To help communicate the message, the charity has turned confiscated bullets from conflict zones into 200 sets of cutlery. It has also been asking people to show their support for the cause by posting a selfie on social media holding up a knife and fork in an ‘X’ position. So far, thousands have taken to social media using the hashtag #StopHungerCrime.

Action against Hunger has said that more needs to be done by leading countries to improve global governance and address the deadly relationship between armed conflict and hunger.

Jean-Michel Grand, Executive Director at the charity, said:

We hope these knives and forks, ordinarily symbols of nourishment and care, help to raise public awareness of the prolific link between conflict and hunger, and to illustrate our commitment to ending this vicious circle.

The charity has also called for urgent action in three of the worst areas for hunger conflict – in Yemen, Democratic Republic Of Congo and Nigeria’s Borno State.

Photo: UK Department for International Development