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Global Health Justice

Category: War/Militarism

War is inextricably linked to health, and yet it is very infrequently considered as a public health issue. Not only does war kill, mame, and traumatize, but it also has ecological and environmental impacts that themselves negate health. It is incongruous with the mission of public health to support war, and yet public health remains silent in war’s midst. Here we highlight the impacts of war on health, and frame war as a global health issue.

Aid Funding Cuts and Malnutrition Force Kakuma Refugees Back to South Sudan

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Men carry bags of food aid at the Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya, March 6, 2018. Picture taken March 6, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya are starving and suffering from malnutrition. The slashing of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in early 2025 has led to a 70% decrease in funding for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The WFP has been forced to cut the refugees’ rations to 30% of their minimum recommended amount a person should eat to stay healthy, leaving 45% of South Sudanese, the largest group of refugees, without food assistance….

Global Health Justice Team’s Statement on the Rapid Support Forces’ Massacre of Civilians in Al-Fasher, Sudan

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Like many of you, we the Global Health Justice (GHJ) team have seen the heart-wrenching images and videos of torture, forced starvation and murder of innocent Sudanese coming out of Al-Fasher over the past few days. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are directly being funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a “Major Defense Partner” of the U.S., have invaded the city after laying siege on it for over 18 months. We’ve seen the videos of young children being…

Sudan’s War and the Collapse of Global Responsibility

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Since 2023, Sudan has been consumed by a brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence has displaced more than 14 million people, more than in Ukraine and Gaza combined. Four million have fled across borders into impoverished neighbors such as Chad and South Sudan. Half the population is at risk of hunger and nearly all of Sudan’s children are out of school. Cholera spreads, malaria is endemic. But statistics cannot capture…

War in Sudan: Unprecedented hunger and displacement

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The United Nations (UN) released a 10 April report stating that the 2-year war in Sudan is one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century, with tens of thousands dead, over 12 million people displaced, and 25 million – half the population – facing extreme levels of hunger. The report states that both the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [RSF] and Sudanese Armed Forces [SAF] have obstructed access to critically needed humanitarian assistance. “Tens of thousands more will die…

The Weapon No One Talks About: Sexual Violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

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A country’s true strength is not in its economy or military but in the well-being of its women. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than 1.8 million women have endured brutal violence; mass rape has become a harrowing reality. Sexual violence is used as a deliberate tool of terror to break communities, drive people from their homes, and keep entire populations in fear. In the east of the DRC, women and girls of all ages, from infants…

An Abyss of Suffering: The Daily Account of a Goma Resident Amid the M23 Invasion

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This article is written in French and English. For the English version, please see below.   La version française Le 25 janvier au matin, le Mouvement du 23 mars (M23), milice soutenue par le Rwanda, a envahi Goma, la plus grande ville de l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Le Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires des Nations unies estime qu’au moins 3 000 personnes ont été tuées depuis que les rebelles du M23 se sont emparés…

From Conflict Minerals to Global Responsibility: Why Congo’s Crisis Matters to Us All

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The long-standing humanitarian crisis and conflict in eastern Congo is a personal one for me. As a refugee from Goma, eastern Congo, I lost family members to this conflict. I am writing this piece to shed light on the worsening situation in the region, both as a Global Health Master of Public Health student and as someone who dreams of peace and a healthy community in my homeland. I ask you to keep learning, sharing, writing to your representatives about…

Poem: My morning cup of coffee

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        In the quiet early hours of the day I pour myself a cup of coffee And through my bleary swollen eyes I catch up to what has unfurled In the world as I have slept I see images of crumbling buildings in war torn zones And children with missing limbs I see people buried under rubble And the displaced living in tents I see mothers clutching tiny shrouds And orphans calling their parents’ name I see…

Sudan’s Forgotten War

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Ezzeldin Saleh and colleagues, in the October 2024 Lancet, draw attention to the horrific and unprecedented conflict in Sudan that has caused immense suffering for the Sudanese people since April 2023. Nearly 11 million people have been internally displaced, and 2.3 million have sought refugee status in neighboring countries. The economy has collapsed, and famine is rampant throughout the country, with approximately 53% of the countries 25.6 million people experiencing high levels of food insecurities – and 14 areas experiencing…

Gazan Death Toll Four Times Greater Than Official Estimates, According to Multiple Experts

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In mid-June, the Gazan Ministry of Health reported a cumulative death toll of nearly 39,000 people attributed to the Israeli assault on Gaza, including 15,000 children. However, other credible researchers estimate that the true death toll is likely over four times higher than reported. Susan Abulhawa, a Gazan refugee, scientist, author and human rights activist argues that the currently reported numbers “don’t give an accurate picture at all”. Abulhawa states that the reported numbers only account for individuals going through…