Western sanctions ‘threaten Africa’s food security’

THE head of the African Union (AU) blamed Western sanctions for the continent’s growing food crisis yesterday, as he met with Vladimir Putin at the President’s Black Sea residence.

Macky Sall, the Senegalese president who chairs the AU, urged Russia “to be aware that our countries, even far from the theatre [of war], are the victims of this economic crisis”.

But he avoided mention of Moscow’s naval blockade of Black Sea ports, which has left about 20 million tons of grain rotting in silos in Ukraine.

Instead, Mr Sall said it was critical to work together so that “everything that concerns food, grain, fertiliser is actually outside” of Western sanctions.

He added that the restrictions mean “we no longer have access to grain from Russia and especially fertiliser”, creating “serious threats to the food security of the continent”.

Germany yesterday condemned Mr Putin’s attempt to create a narrative that Western sanctions are at fault. “The fact that there is a risk of famine in parts of the world [is] a consequence of the Russian war of aggression,” said a government spokesman.