U.N. officials warn that soaring prices of food, fuel, fertilizers, and other commodities due to the Russia-Ukraine war could have a profound destabilizing impact on the African continent.
Africa is still reeling from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has plunged some 50 million people into extreme poverty. The continent is also tackling crises generated by climate change, conflict, and political unrest.
Added to this toxic mix is now the war in Ukraine.
Ahunna Eziakonwa, the U.N. Development Program’s assistant administrator and regional director for Africa, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reverberating badly on the continent.
“Things that really was stunning for the continent and a rude awakening is how much it depends—almost 90% dependence on external sources of goods for what it needs to keep its population alive. Food and medicine,” she said.
Eziakonwa said the impact of soaring inflation due to price hikes of food, fuel, fertilizer and other commodities will soon begin to bite. She said Africa’s reliance on imports of food and other goods from Russia and Ukraine will create another front of discontent and possibly unrest in a growing number of nations.
UNDP-Africa Senior Economist Raymond Gilpin said rising inflation is putting several large investments on hold across the continent. He cited as examples the development of a huge steel mill complex in Nigeria and fertilizer plants in Angola.
Golpin warned tensions are rising in hot spots such as the Sahel, parts of Central Africa, and the Horn of Africa as the Russia-Ukraine war begins to fester.
“Particularly in urban areas, low-income communities, which could spillover just to violent protests and … probably also violent riots,” he said. “Also, and countries that have elections scheduled for this year and next year are particularly vulnerable because this could become a trigger.”
UNDP officials are calling for global action to address the problems in Africa resulting from measures taken half a world away. They say the long-term consequences of this new global crisis pose great risks to peace and stability efforts on the continent.
These dangers, they note, come at a time when Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nearly half of global deaths caused by terrorism as seen in the record number of coups last year.
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6 травня Медведєв заявив, що «поляки оголосили про поділ України» і «офіційно визнали територіальні претензії до неї»
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«Це – навмисна блокада. У людей немає їжі, немає води… Навіть до звірів так не ставляться, як вони ставляться до людей. Жорстокість вражає!»
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Маріуполь був оточений російськими військами ще в перші дні широкомасштабної війни. Українські підрозділи вже другий місяць чинять опір у цьому приазовському місті.
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When the war in Ukraine started, composer and cello player Ian Maksin immediately spoke up, condemning Russia’s aggression. Today, Maksin, who is of Russian descent, is touring the U.S., performing in a series of concerts to raise money to help Ukrainian children. From Los Angeles, Angelina Bagdsaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera – Vazgen Varzhabetian.
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In lush fields southwest of Paris, farmers are joining Europe’s fight to free itself from Russian gas. They’ll soon turn on a new facility where crops and waste are fermented to produce “biogas.” It’s among energy solutions being explored as the continent works to choke off funding for Russian gas amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
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«Здебільшого у них все, фактично, працює у відкритому доступі на високочастотних або короткохвильових радіоканалах без шифрування»
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«Вважаємо цей акт жорстокою образою пам’яті жертв Другої світової війни та провокацією»
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Найбільші втрати військ РФ минулої доби спостерігалися Лиманському та Курахівському напрямках
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For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.
The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT:
4:02 a.m.: An adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Ukraine, says that Russia’s use of “filtration camp” detention centers has turned the city into a “concentration camp,” Al Jazeera reports.
3:07 a.m.: The Pentagon says there are no indications Belarus plans to get involved in the conflict in Ukraine, Al Jazeera reports.
2:04 a.m.: CNN reports that the Pentagon denied news reports saying the U.S. provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva.
“We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement Thursday. “We were not involved in the Ukrainians’ decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out. We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s intent to target the ship.”
1:02 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K.’s defense ministry says Russian efforts to complete the capture of Mariupol, including its Azovstal steel plant, are likely linked to Russia’s plans to celebrate Victory Day on May 9. Victory Day marks the Soviet Union’s 1945 victory over Nazi Germany. Putin, the update says, wants to have a symbolic success in Ukraine.
12:02 a.m.: The Washington Post reports that the western Ukraine city of Ivan-Frankivsk is warning its residents about possible shelling ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebration.
Russia uses Victory Day to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany; it’s a traditional celebration of national pride. Leaders in Ivano-Frankivsk fear that this year it’ll lead to increased Russian attacks. They’re telling residents to evacuate or to stay inside, and they’ve canceled all public events, the Post reports.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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Відсоток засекречених указів став рекордним за останні 20 років, зауважили журналісти
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Ukraine received $6.5 billion in pledges at an international donors’ conference in Warsaw Thursday.
VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze discussed the conference and other issues with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in the Polish capital.
The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
VOA: Donors pledged nearly $7 billion for Ukraine today. Are you satisfied with this pledge?
UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER DENYS SHMYHAL: This is not the first and is not the last donors’ conference. So, we are so very grateful to our Polish and Swedish partners, to the European Commission, the European Union, because they make huge efforts to support Ukraine in all of the spheres. Here today, we mainly were concentrated on the financial sphere. And $6.5 billion is the result of this donors’ conference for Ukrainian support. So, we will see what partners give, how many resources, how much money, and will decide all together how to share it on the different directions of social, humanitarian and other obligations of our state.
VOA: The White House asked Congress for additional support, $33 billion. How would this money be organized, and how much do you expect for the budget, and how much do you expect for other needs?
SHMYHAL: So, the budget deficit for Ukraine during these four months is about $5 billion per month. We discussed this all with all of our partners — with the United States, IMF and World Bank approved this amount. And after this, we begin to work with the IMF. They create a special administrative account, and the World Bank creates a special trust account. And we ask all of the partners to share with Ukraine through these accounts 10% of their SDR (Special Drawing Right), which the IMF shares between all of the members of the IMF. And we also hope that partners will make direct support from their budget for Ukraine. And when (U.S.) President (Joe) Biden (announced) this $33 billion support for Ukraine, so part of this amount of money, about $8 billion, is actually for urgent support of the Ukrainian budget during the next four months. The rest of the amount, we agreed to finance from all of us or our partners — from the IMF, World Bank, from the European Union. And we need this support, this financial support, to not make a mission of money and to not create hyperinflation in Ukraine. So, the macro financial stability of our country is very important for all of our partners, because war will finish the Ukrainian. Ukraine will win this war and after the glory, we need strong economic conditions to begin, in a very fast way, recover our territories, our regions, cities and because of this, partners understand this absolutely clearly and we work with them closely to go actually in this way.
VOA: This war affected [the] agricultural industry in Ukraine, and specifically the world is actually facing a serious hunger crisis because of this war. What would Ukraine be able to actually harvest this year, and how are you working with international partners to collect the harvest and actually deliver it?
SHMYHAL: … European, African and Asian countries are waiting for more than 90 million tons of our grains, corn, wheat, sunflower oil, and it really will lead to the world food crisis. All of the countries are so much disturbed about this. We have negotiations with all of our partners. We have negotiations about this with the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) of the United Nations. During our visit to the United States and meeting with President Biden, we also discussed this issue, because we understand that if we do not unblock our seaports, it will lead not (only) to a food crisis during this year and possible famine in many countries on the African or Asian continents, but it will lead to the next year’s food crisis, because our warehouses are (filled) for this year’s harvest. And when we will have even 90% of amount during this year, we will have no possibility of where to collect this new harvest in Ukraine. So, we urgently need support from our partners; they discussed this possibility, and maybe there will be some kind of humanitarian mission, maybe under U.N. protection. Maybe there will be some alliance that will organize these blue or green corridors for exporting harvest and grain from Ukraine to countries which are waiting for this.
VOA: And you expect Russia would agree?
SHMYHAL: We hope so, because the world and civilized world, democratic world should make this pressure, because in either case, there will be big problems in many countries, and it will be food, real food crisis. Russia creates energy crisis during this winter; Russia would like to create a migration crisis because of the destroying civilian infrastructure, and because of these atrocities and war crimes in Ukraine, and we know that the quantity of killed civilians is 10 times more than military people, so it’s absolutely clear that they caused genocide against the Ukrainian people. But their other aim is to create fear among Ukrainians and to create a migration tsunami. But the European Union managed this, and all of our women and children are in the European Union, in all of our countries which house them very kindly. So, we are so very grateful for this, and the migration crisis (failed), but the food crisis, energy crisis is still very actual. So, we should find how we manage this all together, all the world.
VOA: And one more question about military support. You’re receiving a lot of military support from (the U.S.), from other countries and NATO countries. You signed an agreement today with the Polish government. Could you give us a hint as to what that is about? And how do you assess different countries’ support for Ukraine militarily?
SHMYHAL: Today I found that one big amount of more than $12 billion during these 71 days — Ukraine received from our partners for different spheres — for military sphere, for humanitarian sphere, but in any way, the biggest amount of support is from the United States. We are so very grateful for this, appreciate this so much. Poland is the next one country, European Union, and different financial organizations, IMF, World Bank, EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), and all of the countries and the European Union especially, Canada for example. Their reaction was immediate, very urgent during the first week of the war. They support us financially. Many countries begin to support us in the sphere of defense, defense absolutely, also in a very fast way. So, the main, our supporter in the military sphere is the United States and all of the alliance.
VOA: The Poland agreement?
SHMYHAL: The Poland agreement is not public. It’s an agreement in the sphere of defense, and in the military and defense sphere. But we can’t say what this agreement is about. It’s a very important and very good agreement for Ukraine.
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«Таку крадіжку не можна терпіти», – кажуть євродепутати
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