A father puts his son on artificial respiration in the ward of a hospital that takes patients with malnutrition in N’Djamena, May 13, 2022. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
Chad, the third least developed country in the world according to the UN, has 5.5 million Chadians, more than a third of the population, in need of “emergency humanitarian aid” in 2021, according to a report published on Thursday, April 2. According to the United Nations. A situation that has worsened with the war in Ukraine, where Russia imposed a grain blockade.
Also read: Chad: Hunger in the Kalambari camp, a companion in misfortune for Cameroonian refugees
The decree, signed by the head of the ruling junta, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, mentions a “growing risk of the population being left without humanitarian assistance, including food aid […] will not be delivered”. “The government calls on all national actors and international partners to come to the aid of the population,” the decree continues.
Russia’s offensive against Ukraine – which together account for 30% of world wheat exports – has led to spikes in grain and oil prices, which have surpassed those of the 2011 Arab Spring and 2008 food riots. The UN fears “a hurricane of famine,” especially in African countries that imported more than half their wheat from Ukraine or Russia.
Also read: Chad: In N’Djamena, young children are the first victims of the food crisis
The war provoked by Russia at the end of February, along with the devastation in Ukraine, is fueling “a three-dimensional global food, energy and financial crisis that is weighing on the most vulnerable peoples, countries and economies,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.
The fear of a major food crisis is particularly noticeable in Africa, where in many countries a predominantly poor population is affected by the price increase – which the states are unable to stem due to a lack of financial resources. In the Horn of Africa, which is being hit by a terrible drought, millions of people are at risk of starvation.
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