Russian-Ukrainian Crisis Triggers Mounting Food Insecurity in Africa

The food situation worsened even more with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, as if the food security of the continent did not have enough crises and more.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the food price index from February to March rose by 12.6%, reaching its highest level since the 1990s.

The World Food Program (WFP) also warned that the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis would lead to catastrophic results. Acute hunger is expected to rise by 17% globally, and more than that in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa.

The regions of the continent lead the grim statistics that 174 million people suffer from acute food insecurity globally.

Africa is a major importer of food despite containing 60% of the world's arable land. With millions now at risk of falling into poverty and malnutrition, the crisis in Ukraine threatens to cut off supplies to much of the continent.

This crisis has already led to a rise in food-grain prices by more than 25%, as 14 African countries depend on Russia and Ukraine for more than half of their wheat imports.