War in Ukraine: the UN warns of a “hurricane of famines” to come


A “hurricane of famines” is likely to hit many countries, especially the poorest, because of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the UN warned on Monday.

In Yemen, five times as many people are at risk of going hungry this year due to food supply problems linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the UN Food Organization has said. and Agriculture (FAO), the UNICEF Children’s Fund and the World Food Program (WFP).

If the civil war remains the main factor of hunger, the crisis between Russia and Ukraine also weighs on Yemen, where more than 40% of cereal imports come from these two countries, according to the UN report. .

“We must do everything we can to avoid a hurricane of famines and a collapse of the global food system,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

45 African countries in danger

Since Ukraine and Russia are major producers of cereals, especially wheat, many countries depend on their exports for food. The prices of cereals and other foodstuffs are likely to soar and penalize 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 Congo, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen,” detailed the UN chief, who once again called to end this war.

Guest of CNEWS last week, the Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, said he feared a “global food crisis” because of the Ukrainian crisis. If France did not have to fear a shortage, “price effects” could however be observed for certain foodstuffs, in particular for meat, the price of livestock feed likely to increase sharply.



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