Food poverty increased in Africa from 40 to 60%, mainly as a result of the Ukrainian War. Despite its recent proximity to Russia, the African continent has between three and four million more people affected by famine during 2022, the year the war began.
In agreement, Vicente Palacio, director of Foreign Policy at Alternatives, pointed out the need for Europe to play a more important role in this matter. “There are no reliable figures, but we are talking about tens of millions of people affected by the situation of food poverty, which no longer only impacts countries that traditionally suffer from it, such as Eritrea or Ethiopia, but has also spread to places like Tunisia, Egypt or even Morocco,” he explained.
The increase is also due to a structural situation related to the crop system and the international food market, according to the conclusions of the Africa Report of the Spanish Alternativas Foundation. According to director Palacio, this also influences greater migratory flows at a geopolitical moment of great change in the world, which concerns everyone and in which a material commitment, investment and help in the digital transition must be maintained.
Last May, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, announced that Russia decided to send 30,000 tons of grain to Kenya after ensuring that the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, and has been supported by the Turkish government. and the United Nations (UN) extended for two months.
This was a response to the recent statements by the Kremlin in which they affirm that the refusal of the European Union to restore the connection of the bank Rosseljozbank to the SWIFT system of Europe puts in doubt the continuity of the Black Sea Agreement.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, warned last week that in the face of the rejection of the European Union, Peskov indicated that the efforts of the UN and its secretary general, António Guterres, clash with the unconstructive position of some Westerners.
Therefore, this Russia undertook to send this shipment to the African continent as a measure to avoid the waste of the Russian grain harvest, a proposal that Vladimir Putin had made during a conference for trade agreements with several African countries. “As far as Kenya is concerned, literally in a matter of days a cargo of 30,000 tons of fertilizers will arrive at the port of Mombasa,” Lavrov said from Kenya, where he held several meetings.
With information from EFE
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