The African Union on Tuesday “regretted” Russia’s decision to suspend the agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea despite the war in Ukraine .
“I regret the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which the African Union had supported very early on,” AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said on his Twitter account.
“I urge stakeholders to resolve the issues to allow the resumption of the continued and safe passage of grain and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia to regions in need, including Africa,” he added.
Signed in July 2022 in Istanbul and already renewed twice, the cereal agreement expired Monday evening in Istanbul. In one year, it has enabled the removal of nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals from Ukrainian ports, mainly corn and wheat, helping to stabilize world food prices and avert the risk of shortages.
Moscow refused to extend it, complaining of obstacles to its own deliveries of agricultural products and fertilizers and saying that it had not allowed grain to be delivered to poor countries as much as expected.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres regretted this decision, stressing that “hundreds of millions of people” were threatened by hunger and that they were going to “pay the price”.
In Africa, cereal prices have risen following the drop in exports caused by the war in Ukraine, aggravating the sometimes devastating effects of local conflicts and climate change.
