Using hunger as a weapon of war is strictly prohibited by Article 54 ("Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population"), Additional Protocol of the Geneva Convention (1949). Moreover, the recent adoption of Resolution 2417 (2018) by the United Nations Security Council strongly condemns the practice of starving the population and denying humanitarian aid as a strategy of war.
Nevertheless, conflicts both before and after these two important documents continue to demonstrate that hunger is not merely a consequence and collateral effect of conflict, but rather a deliberate and highly destructive tactic deployed against civil society.
In the face of the impunity of this crime, Global Rights Compliance (GRC) positions itself as a champion to denounce such practices as war crimes, appealing to the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In June 2024, Global Rights Compliance submitted a robust dossier to the ICC regarding Russia's aggression in Ukraine, including the report "The Hope Left Us: Russia’s Siege, Starvation, and Capture of Mariupol City" aimed at seeking justice for the inhumane practices carried out by the occupying forces during the siege of the city between February and May 2022.Using a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach, it was possible to meticulously analyze the patterns of the Russian strategy in Mariupol. In fact, the conclusions reached by GRC in its report are based on qualitative investigations (such as interviews), quantitative data, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and geospatial imagery (specifically, the review of 1.5 billion square meters of satellite photos).
The innovative report examines the war tactics implemented by the Russian army, demonstrating how the modus operandi showed clear premeditation aimed at starving civilians in Mariupol (similar to what happened in Chernihiv) through a comprehensive range of actions. To this end, the targets hit by Russian weapons included the so-called OIS (Objects Indispensable to Survival). In addition to hitting hospitals, schools, and humanitarian corridors, they targeted energy infrastructure (resulting in the loss of electricity and access to energy sources for heating and food preservation), water infrastructure (the destruction of dams, water pipes, and irrigation channels limited access to safe water sources and made it impossible to irrigate agricultural fields). Finally, bombings on food distribution centers, food stores, and access roads to the city caused food shortages, disrupted supplies, and prevented the entry of humanitarian aid. In conclusion, it is highlighted once again how Russia is implementing inhumane practices in Ukraine, following patterns already used during military interventions in Syria and resembling the Holodomor inflicted on Ukraine by the Soviet Union in the 1930s.
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To read more, please visit:
- https://iwpr.net/global-voices/russias-weaponisation-starvation-mariupol
- https://starvationaccountability.org/publications/the-hope-left-us-russias-siege-starvation-and-capture-of-mariupol-city/
- https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/13/europe/russia-ukraine-mariupol-hunger-war-crime-intl/index.html
- https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russians-used-starvation-method-warfare-mariupol-experts-say-2024-06-13/
- https://www.voanews.com/a/un-food-chief-says-mariupol-is-starving/6530648.html
- https://www.wfp.org/stories/un-barred-using-hunger-and-starvation-weapons-war
- https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977?activeTab=undefined
- https://press.un.org/en/2018/sc13354.doc.htm
