Hunger is not only a humanitarian crisis – it is also used as a weapon.

Across West Asia and North Africa, starvation has served as a tool of war, control, and dispossession, rooted in colonial legacies and sustained by ongoing political violence.

While international law formally prohibits the starvation of civilians, enforcement often fails. Communities are frequently left to survive on their own – and to resist. From communal kitchens and seed libraries to agroecological networks and rooftop gardens, food sovereignty becomes a practice of dignity, solidarity, and freedom.

The publication Weaponizing Hunger brings together six case studies that examine both the political use of hunger and the powerful forms of resilience that confront it.
👉 Read the publication

In conversation with the authors:

• Annia Ciezadlo (Syria) – Life under siege (2012–2018): starvation, survival, and creativity under extreme conditions
• Michelle Eid (South Lebanon) – The olive tree as livelihood and symbol: destruction, resilience, and cultural resistance since 2023
• Mohamed Ireg (Sudan) – Imperial and local violence, widespread starvation, and community-led initiatives
• Dr. Imen Louati (North Africa) – Imperial food regimes and the role of agroecology networks in sustainability and survival
• Dr. Schluwa Sama (Iraqi Kurdistan) – Starvation as coercion under Saddam Hussein and the often-forgotten role of farmers in resistance
• Raya Ziada (Palestine) – From the British Mandate to Gaza: hunger governance and food sovereignty as a decolonial strategy
• Introduction & Moderation: Tanja Tabbara, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

📅 Thursday, 26 February | 3 pm CET | Online
Please register in advance to receive the meeting link:
https://eu01web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_umpZ-bOBQ1Ga-8PSSD4boA