Somali Deputy PM Jama decries Gaza starvation, urges Africa food security

Somalia's Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama has decried the starvation of Palestinians to death, particularly women and children, as a result of Israel's brutal war on Gaza.

“The rare consequence of man-made food insecurity can best be understood by taking into stock the prevailing inhumane conditions in Gaza as hundreds and thousands of vulnerable people, children, and women are starved and on the edge of vanishing,” Jama stated in remarks at the UN Food Systems Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years. But since March, it has shut down all crossings, blocking the entry of most aid convoys as its military bombs and kills the Palestinians.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children.

Jama also called for coordinated efforts to ensure food security in African countries.

Weaponisation of hunger

He affirmed Somalia’s solidarity with all those suffering from food insecurity globally.

The summit, which concluded on Tuesday, aimed to assess progress on initiatives launched since the inaugural Food Systems Summit in 2021 and reaffirm global commitment to transforming food systems for sustainable development.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video message to the summit, warned against the weaponisation of hunger.

“We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war,” Guterres emphasized, pointing to conflict zones like Gaza and Sudan where violence is pushing populations into deeper levels of food insecurity.