The head of the African Union has told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit that he holds Russia responsible for the famine in the continent, reports BBC News† Putin is said to have promised African Union president Macky Sall during the meeting to improve the export of food and fertilizers from Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Since the war, exports of, among other things, wheat and fertilizers from the latter country have been difficult. About 40 percent of the wheat in Africa comes from Ukraine and Russia.
Sall, who is also president of Senegal, did not share details about Russia’s commitment to facilitate exports after the talk. He would have been reassured by the promises. Putin denied in talks with Sall that Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports.
Chad’s government declared a state of emergency on Friday as the African country fail wheat through the war between Russia and Ukraine.
UN worries about global food aid
The UN warned in early May that global food aid could be jeopardized by the war in Ukraine. To make matters worse, parts of northern and eastern Africa are being hit by an exceptional drought.
More than ten million children, mainly in the Horn of Africa and South Asia, are threatened by acute malnutrition, UNICEF reported in mid-May.
The ongoing drought, the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the corona pandemic are the main causes, according to the UN children’s organization. In addition, donations are declining worldwide, said UNICEF against NU.nl.
The International Red Cross says it needs more than 37 million euros for aid in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. On Thursday, the emergency aid organization had raised about 11.5 million euros worldwide, a spokesperson reported to this site. More than 3 tons of it came from The Netherlands.
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