Russia-Ukraine war: Chad declares food emergency, calls for humanitarian aid

The Republic of Chad has declared a food emergency due to the lack of grain supplies occasioned by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The declaration was made on Thursday.

Chad said the food supply had significantly decreased since the beginning of the year, adding that international humanitarian aid was needed urgently.

The government called on “all national and international partners to help the population”, according to a decree signed by Mahamat Idriss Déby, head of Chad’s military government.

“There is a constant deterioration of the food and nutritional situation and a growing risk.”

The United Nations (UN), in 2021, said about 5.5 million Chadians, or more than a third, were in need of urgent humanitarian aid and would be in need of food aid this year.

However, the country’s food situation grew worse as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Both countries are the world’s biggest exporters of grains. The conflict between the two nations has depleted the supply of food, sending prices to the roof.

In April, Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) said the bank would provide a $1.5 billion food plan to mitigate the food crisis in Africa.

At the just concluded African Union (AU) meeting, both President Muhammadu Buhari and Macky Sall, President of Senegal and AU chairman, had pledged to donate $3 million each, to the new humanitarian agency set up by the commission.

Meanwhile, Sall met with the Russian President on Friday to discuss the release of stocks of grain and fertilizer whose restrictions have affected importing nations.