More than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems have been recorded since 2018, according to a new analysis that details how parties in conflict are using hunger as a weapon. The report, released this week, documents 1,261 strikes on markets used by families for daily groceries and 863 incidents targeting food distribution systems that left workers dead.
Where the attacks hit
The analysis covers a range of incidents — from airstrikes on grain silos to armed raids on marketplaces. The 1,261 market attacks represent a direct assault on civilian food access, while the 863 distribution system incidents show a deliberate effort to sever supply chains. Workers involved in moving and delivering food were killed in those attacks, the data shows.
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A pattern of weaponized starvation
The root cause, according to the researchers, is the use of hunger as a weapon of war. Cutting off food supplies has become a tactic for conflict parties seeking to pressure or punish civilian populations — a practice that violates international humanitarian law. The data spans eight years and multiple conflict zones, suggesting the strategy is not isolated but systemic.
The report arrives as crypto markets are already in a fearful state. The Fear & Greed index sits at 28, and bitcoin is trading near $73,900 with dominance above 60%. While the findings are not directly tied to digital assets, they feed into the broader macro sentiment that institutional investors now cite as their top concern. Any deterioration in global stability tends to sharpen risk-off moves, pushing capital toward cash or safe havens.
The data is retrospective — covering incidents through 2023 — so it lacks the shock value of a breaking event. Still, it reinforces the anxious mood ahead of U.S. CPI data due in 48 hours. Traders are watching whether bitcoin can hold support at $72,500; a break below that level with heavy volume could accelerate selling toward $71,000.
