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Global hunger, already affected by climate change and Coronavirus diseasesuffered another blow during the Russian invasion Ukraine February 2021. In import-dependent African countries, staple food prices have reached unprecedented levels, fuelling inequality, hunger and poverty.
A month after the war ended, the price of bread in the region had risen by more than 50 percent. The United Nations Food Price Index, which measures changes in international food prices, said food commodity prices rose 12.6 percent from February to March. This was the largest price increase since the 1990s.
In fact, the World Food Programme has warned that the number of people suffering from severe hunger globally could increase by 17 percent, with the largest increases expected in countries in West, East and Southern Africa. In these regions, food insecurity could increase by 20.8 percent, affecting 174 million people. In response to food shortages caused by the war, the G7 nations pledged on Tuesday to spend $4.5 billion this year to ensure food security.
Let’s see how the war in Ukraine exacerbates Africa’s food crisis.
The role of Russia and Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine together export 75 percent of the world’s sunflower oil and nearly 30 percent of wheat. They are also one of the top five global suppliers of barley and corn. Many countries in Africa are completely dependent on these two countries for the supply of wheat, oil and even fertilizers. Russia is also the world’s largest fertilizer exporter.
Post-invasion disruptions to transport to Africa not only hindered staple foods, but severely affected agriculture on the continent. From cooking oil to fuel, the halt in trade has boosted transport prices and, in turn, other infrastructure in the region.
According to a report by NPR, 90% of the wheat normally exported to East Africa has been disrupted this year. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are low-income countries at risk that have seen already high food prices peak. Nigeria is the world’s fourth-largest importer of wheat, with most of the wheat coming from the two war-torn countries. Likewise, more than 40 percent of the wheat consumed in Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda and Cameroon comes from Russia and Ukraine.
War and Trapped Food
Before the war, grain shipments from Ukraine took place through Odessa and Mariupol. Both regions are of enormous economic and tactical importance for Russia and the rest of the world, and aggressors spare no effort to attack them. Odessa was hit by missiles and the main port city of Mariupol was occupied by the Russians within two months of the war.
As a result, these shipments remain blocked, leaving nearly 25 million tons of grain with nowhere to go and is expected to rot soon. This is linked to last year’s harvest, according to UN estimates. If not destroyed by Russian shelling, another 50 million tons will be harvested in the next few months. To make matters worse, Ukrainian grain bins are full and soon there will be nowhere to store more of the harvest.
As of now, millions of tons of grain are waiting to rot in the face of the Russian blockade. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba has asked Russia to lift the blockade of these areas or have Western countries send warships to escort tons of food. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is trying to strike a deal with Russia that would allow Ukraine to release trapped grain in exchange for the lifting of Western sanctions on the country in order to sell its fertilizers on global markets.
Deteriorating situation in Africa​​
Africa is facing a food crisis after the pandemic and numerous natural disasters have disrupted supply chains over the past two years. The ongoing internal conflict on the African continent is another major reason why the current food crisis has only made a worrying situation worse.
Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon and other West African regions are all experiencing food crises caused by wars and become hotbeds of conflict. A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in many parts of the continent, and deep social divisions remain a key challenge.
Ethiopia’s civil war, which began in November 2020, has intensified since Covid-19. CAR has been involved in conflict for several years. The conflict in Cameroon began as a protest over poor governance turned into a deadly rebellion.
The surge in food commodities in the early 2000s pushed millions of Africans into extreme poverty. It also deeply contributes to social unrest and conflict. In 2021, Kenyans take to the streets to protest rising food prices and an increase in VAT on cooking oil and gas. In March, the Cameroonian government said a more than 60 percent cut in wheat imports from Ukraine could spark social unrest, Human Rights Watch said.
Edwin Ikhuoria, executive director of the ONE campaign for Africa, told DW that prices for basic food items have risen so high that “the poor in Africa are sometimes forced to sell household items to buy food” . “When someone is hungry, nothing else matters,” Ikhuoria added.
countries react
G7 leaders said in a statement that $4.5 billion would be used to ease the “multidimensional crisis” that has put a record 323 million people globally at high risk of food shortages.
US President Joe Biden announced an additional $2.76 billion to alleviate food insecurity and malnutrition. “While the entire globe will continue to be affected by Russia’s actions, the most pressing needs will be in the Horn of Africa, as it experiences a record fourth consecutive dry season that could lead to famine,” the White House said in a statement.
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