UN warns of ‘hell’ and famine in Africa and the Middle East

The head of the UN World Food Program has issued a stern warning to European leaders, calling on them to help more financially now in order to avert the risk of global hunger or a further migration crisis.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has shocked international food markets, exacerbating the already grim problem of global hunger as it has disrupted supply chains and pushed up food prices. A development that risks endangering the poorest countries already plagued by hunger and causing an unprecedented immigration crisis, according to David Beasley, head of the World Food Program.

In an interview with Politico, Beasley warned that Europe must allocate more funds or it will bear the brunt of the impact.

“There are billions of dollars left,” he said.

Beasley’s warning is expected to put further pressure on EU governments drawing up plans to address the food crisis posed by the war.

Russia and Ukraine are among the largest producers and exporters of cereals in the world. The problems caused by the war have a direct impact on countries in the Middle East and Africa that support their supplies to Russia and Ukraine.

Half of Africa’s wheat imports come from Ukraine and Russia, which are also major exporters of fertilizers. As for Ukraine, its exports have been cut off and its ability to continue growing food this year hangs in the balance. The turning point will be in the fall, Beasley said, when the impact of the war is likely to be felt in its entirety.

“If they are supposed to see hell now, wait,” Beasley warned. “If we neglect North Africa, North Africa will come to Europe.” “If we neglect the Middle East, the Middle East will come to Europe.”

The economic situation in these parts of the world is worse today than it was before the Arab Spring, he said, adding, however, that it is not just the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa who are under pressure.

The World Food Program is already providing food to millions of people south of the Sahel, such as Niger and Burkina Faso, where problems will worsen if world food prices remain high. “I have been warning developed countries for several years that the Sahel is going to collapse if we are not careful,” he added.

It is noted that the head of the World Food Program is in Brussels as part of an urgent mission to raise funds and had talks with two EU Commissioners on Tuesday. “If the food crisis gets out of control and people face critical food shortages, the rich West will not escape political turmoil,” he said.

“What do you think will happen in Paris, Chicago and Brussels when there is not enough food?” He asked at this week’s EU humanitarian conference in Belgium.

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Source: Capital

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