A “hungry hurricane” is likely to hit many countries, especially the poorest, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, the UN warned on Monday.
According to the UN Food Organization and the Department of Agriculture (FAO), the UNICEF Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme, five times more people in Yemen are at risk of going hungry this year due to food supply problems linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. (WFP).
If the civil war remains the main driver of the famine, then the crisis between Russia and Ukraine is weighing on Yemen, which, according to a UN report, accounts for more than 40% of grain imports from the two countries.
“We must do everything possible to avoid the hurricane of hunger and the collapse of the global food system,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
45 African countries at risk
Because Ukraine and Russia are major producers of cereals, especially wheat, many countries depend on their food exports. Cereal and other food prices are likely to rise and hurt already disadvantaged countries.
“45 African and least developed countries import at least a third of their wheat from Ukraine or Russia – 18 of these countries import at least 50%. This includes countries such as Burkina Faso, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen,” the UN chief clarified, once again calling for an end to this war.
CNEWS guest last week, Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandy, said he feared a “global food crisis” due to the Ukrainian crisis. If France did not have to fear shortages, then “price effects” could be observed on some foodstuffs, in particular meat, the price of livestock feed is likely to rise sharply.