On Friday, Russian President Vladamir Putin welcomed Senegalese President Macky Sall, chairman of the African Union, to his residence in Sochi.
The 2 mentioned bilateral commerce, financial partnership, and the rising difficulty of meals insecurity, which has been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"It's for the sake of this friendship that I'm right here, amongst different issues," Sall mentioned at a joint press convention with Putin. "Now we have excessive hopes for cooperation between Russia and the African continent, however we're additionally right here to speak in regards to the [Ukraine] disaster and its penalties."
Russia and Ukraine account for greater than 40% of Africa's whole wheat imports. In international locations like Tanzania, Rwanda and Senegal, that quantity rises to greater than 60%, whereas in Egypt it's 80%.
Somalia and Benin depend on Russia and Ukraine for almost their total wheat provide.
Shortages of wheat, fertilizer, and cooking oils have led to vital worth hikes in a number of the poorest international locations on the earth which might be most weak to famine.
"Africa has grow to be the collateral sufferer of a distant battle, that between Russia and Ukraine," mentioned Moussa Faki Mahamat, the African Union Fee chairperson.
In response to the United Nations Meals and Agriculture Group's Meals Worth Index, the worth of a "meals basket" in Might 2022 has risen 22.8% above its worth within the corresponding month final yr.
The World Meals Programme warned that acute starvation would possibly enhance by 17% globally if the struggle continues, with the sharpest will increase anticipated in international locations in East, West, and Southern Africa.
With out a well timed reprieve, they count on the variety of individuals experiencing acute meals insecurity in these areas to rise by almost 21%, affecting virtually 174 million individuals.
"Many international locations in Africa have been already in a meals disaster," mentioned Lena Simet, senior researcher on poverty and inequality at Human Rights Watch. "Rising costs are compounding the plight of thousands and thousands of individuals thrown into poverty by the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring pressing motion by governments and the worldwide neighborhood."
Sources near Sall's workplace count on the Senegalese chief to make use of this chance for face-to-face discussions with Putin to advocate on behalf of his continent, and to induce him to elevate Russia's blockade on the important thing Ukrainian port of Odesa to let desperately wanted meals provides move.
This go to "is a part of the efforts of the present chairmanship of the Union to contribute to the lull within the struggle in Ukraine, and the discharge of shares of grain and fertilizer whose blockage notably impacts African international locations," his workplace mentioned in a press release.
However, Kremlin officers are portray a distinct image. As a substitute of a go to to debate the meals disaster, they've labeled it as a referendum on the West.
Putin insists that the basis trigger of those shortages is Western sanctions. He says that the blockade on Ukrainian ports may be lifted on his finish, however solely after such sanctions are revoked.
European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen vehemently disagreed.
"It's a full misinformation from Russia's aspect," she informed reporters. "The one purpose why we're struggling now with a meals disaster is due to this brutal, unjustified struggle in opposition to Ukraine."
Whereas consultants agree that ending this scarcity is important to well being and growth on the African continent, many are skeptical that Friday's assembly will produce outcomes that may alleviate the rising meals disaster.
Accusing Russia of "utilizing meals as a weapon of struggle" on Tuesday, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, mentioned opening the Black Sea maritime route "ought to be the primary precedence ... however we're not sure it'll work."
Bram Peters, meals system advisor at Cordaid, agreed that the issue of meals shortages goes far past the struggle in Ukraine and Putin's blockade.
"In the end, we should strengthen the worldwide meals infrastructure," he informed Reduction Net, "and Africa should obtain assist from the worldwide neighborhood to adequately tackle the issue."
"The Ukraine disaster exhibits how imperatively we've to remodel our international meals system to a system that gives good meals for all," he added. "At present, we're producing sufficient to feed the world, but depart thousands and thousands on the point of famine."
"Meals manufacturing just isn't the largest difficulty," Peters mentioned. "There may be sufficient meals. The most important difficulty is pricing and entry."
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