With the grain boycott by Russia as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, fears of famine in Africa are increasing. To counter such a move, African Union (AU) President Macky Sall traveled to Sochi to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, his foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that he wanted to negotiate the export of Ukrainian grain in Turkey.
Putin hosted Senegal’s head of state in the Black Sea resort on Friday to talk about averting a famine in Africa. Russia and Ukraine are among the main wheat suppliers in Africa. However, due to the war, the grain no longer arrives.
Africa “completely surrendered”
Sall called for the ban on exports to be lifted. Russia has been criticized internationally for blocking grain exports from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. “Africa… is completely at the mercy of the situation,” Sall lamented before his trip. The AU calls for a ceasefire, an end to the war and the release of all food products to avoid famine.
Wheat boycott as leverage against the West
Russia, on the other hand, wants the AU to advocate in the West for the lifting of sanctions against Moscow after Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Because Russian cargo ships are subject to sanctions, they cannot export grain, the Moscow foreign minister said. The West claims that food is not subject to sanctions, but at the same time does not say that it cannot be transported, Lavrov said.
At the same time, the Russian minister wants to negotiate the export of Ukrainian grain in Turkey next Wednesday. To this end, the mines off the Ukrainian coast of the Black Sea must be defused. Turkish specialists should help with this.
Consequences of stopping delivery devastating
Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world. The loss of grain supply from Ukraine due to the war is painful for Africa in particular. There are fears of a catastrophic famine on the continent due to increased food prices. The United Nations has already warned of the enormous global impact of the war.
Russia blocks ports on the Black Sea
According to Amin Awad, UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine, about 1.4 billion people could face food shortages if grain exports from Ukraine and fertilizer exports from Russia continue to stagnate. It is therefore imperative that the trade routes across the Black Sea no longer remain blocked.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
