What Putin’s War In Ukraine Has To Do With Starvation In Africa

Putin’s war has had a devastating impact on the situation in Ukraine. According to the World Food Program (WFP), in Ukraine, conflict and insecurity are causing the fastest-growing humanitarian crisis in the world. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), there have been 11,544 civilian casualties in the country as of 12 July 2022 – of which 5,024 were killed and 6,520 were injured. OHCHR believe that the actual figures are considerably higher due to underreporting and delayed communication from places where intense hostilities are taking place. Millions of Ukrainians sought refuge in neighboring countries or are internally displaced. Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, stressed that “Ukraine is suffering the largest human displacement crisis in the world today, with more than one quarter of the country’s population — some 12 million people — forced from their homes since the start of the conflict. Over 5.2 million are estimated to now be refugees across Europe.” The U.N. Refugee Agency recorded 5,827,832 refugees from Ukraine across Europe, and 9,172,153 who have crossed the border from Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

At least 16 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance and protection services. As noted by Rosemary DiCarlo, “Ukraine is suffering the largest human displacement crisis in the world today, with some 12 million people forced from their homes. […] Civilians continue to pay too high a price in this war.” She added that “women are facing particular hardships in accessing health care, safety and food, and they are increasingly becoming the heads of their households and leaders in their communities as men are conscripted.” Food shortages are of particular concern in many regions of Ukraine right now.

However, it does not stop there. This crisis is also felt in many other countries around the world. Indeed, Putin stands accused of targeting grain in its war on Ukraine. This includes allegations of destroying crops, but also blocking grain export. The war resulted in the closure of key ports in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which caused a drop in grain exports from Ukraine. Furthermore, large swaths of Ukraine’s agricultural land – including half of the winter wheat fields and 40% of the rye plantations – have been occupied by Russian troops. There have also been accusations of Russian forces deliberately attacking agricultural infrastructure, considering Ukraine’s largest grain storage facility was destroyed in June and a grain warehouse was also destroyed in May.

In a debate at the U.K. Parliament, Lord Alton of Liverpool, commenting upon the impact of the war stated that, “some 400 million people in the world depend on grain from Ukraine.” As he added, “the scale and nature of Ukraine and Russia’s role in global food supplies is phenomenal. As such, the lack of access to Ukraine’s grain has catastrophic global consequences. In 2021, the Russian Federation or Ukraine, or both, were ranked among the top three global exporters of wheat, barley, maize, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed and sunflower oil. Agriculture and food represent almost 10% of Ukraine’s GDP. Last year Ukraine exported food products worth almost $28 billion to the world, including $7.4 billion-worth of food to the European Union.” Among the countries heavily dependent on wheat from Ukraine are Somalia, Libya, the Gambia, Mauritania, Tunisia and Eritrea.

On July 22, 2022, Ukraine and Russia have signed a United Nations-backed deal to facilitate the safe transport of grain from Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The United Nations called the deal a “beacon of hope for humanity.” However, close coordination among the parties is critical to its success. Furthermore, despite this agreement, less than 24 hours after the agreement, Russian troops attacked the port of Odesa. As the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stressed, “the world saw the Russian Federation’s true character later when it bombed the port of Odesa. The Russian Federation should allow grain and food to leave Odesa unharmed to feed a hungry world.”

The next months will show whether the agreement will be implemented. And it must be implemented. Without it, the food insecurity around the world will reach new levels putting millions of people at risk of malnutrition and starvation.