The Senegalese president and current chairman of the African Union, Macky Sall discussed the current state of the war in Ukraine and its repercussions on the deliveries of cereals in Africa wth Vladimir Putin.
Called to the rescue by Africa, the Europeans are accelerating their efforts to get out the stocks of cereals blocked in Ukraine. To avoid a world food crisis, secure access to the port of Odessa needs to be discussed with Moscow.
"The situation is worrying and the worst may be ahead of us," warned the head of the African Union, Macky Sall, by videoconference to the heads of state and government of the EU meeting at the summit in Brussels.
The European side is sure that Western sanctions against Moscow are "not responsible" for the tensions in the food markets. "These are caused by the offensive of Russia" – said the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, accusing Russia of "taking world grain hostage." In addition to blocking the ports, Moscow "deliberately bombs warehouses and fields," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The West is also trying to unblock the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, particularly the large port of Odessa (south), the main exit port for the country's agricultural production, to relaunch grain exports, of which Ukraine is one major world producers. Due to the Russian blockade, at least 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain cannot currently be exported, raising the risk of a global food crisis.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pleaded on Wednesday in Stockholm for a "decisive action" to ensure "a steady flow of food and energy" as the war in Ukraine destabilizes global commodity markets.
For the Togolese economist and director of the think tank Afrocentricity Yves Ekue Amaïzo, the trip by Macky Sall to Russia is a good initiative. Africa, he said, will make its voice heard in a conflict in which it is not a party but in which it suffers the consequences.
"Africa is not directly in the conflict but suffers the consequences of this war. Macky Sall will ask for exceptions for oil, gas, fertilizers, and cereals. Africa has a position of neutrality in this conflict , a position of non-alignment", says Yves Ekue Amaïzo questioned by Georges Ibrahim Tounkara. Listen to the interview by clicking on the image above.
The pope called for an end to the blockade of grain exports from Ukraine, defending the "universal right to food" and rejecting the use of wheat as a "weapon of war". "The blocking of grain exports from Ukraine, on which the lives of millions of people depend, especially in the poorest countries, is very worrying."
The conflict triggered by Russia and the sanctions that followed has undermined the global food balance, raising fears of a serious crisis that will particularly affect the poorest countries.
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