The grain deal between Russia and Ukraine was finally abandoned by Russia after weeks of threatening to do so. Russia released a statement at the twilight of the anniversary of the deal confirming that it is “suspending” the deal. This was following the successes of the deal for almost a year.
This singular action by Russia has now been clearly condemned by Kenya on Tuesday. A senior official working in the foreign ministry of Kenya have described what Russia has done as a “stab on the back” and in essence a betrayal of the African continent by Putin’s Russia.
Tweeting under the account, @SingoeiAKorir, Korir Sing’Oei, who describes himself as the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Kenya said:
“The decision by Russia to exit the Black Sea Grain Initiative is a stab on the back at global food security prices and disproportionately impacts countries in the Horn of Africa already impacted by drought.”
The decision by Russia to exit the Black Sea Grain Initiative is a stab on the back at global food security prices and disproportionately impacts countries in the Horn of Africa already impacted by drought. https://t.co/QESZSiQJBd
— Korir Sing’Oei (@SingoeiAKorir) July 17, 2023
Russia’s decision to pull out from the grain deal has since been criticised by western countries generally. Now an African country has added the African perspective to this criticism.
The grain deal is widely called “Black Sea Grain Initiative”. It was brokered between Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 by Turkey and the UN. It allows Ukraine to export grains through the Black Sea. This enabled Ukraine to supply world markets over this period. This has helped checkmate the rising global food prices.
Africa in particular has benefitted from this deal, because the rising food inflation “disproportionately impacts countries in the Horn of Africa already impacted by drought.”
With Russia’s action the positive impact of the deal on African will now be lost. The continent may once become a victim of the reduced supply of grain in the world market. This paints Putin and Russia in a very bad light in Africa, and massively impacts negatively on Putin’s claim to care about the interest of the African continent.
