Concern mounts in East Africa over halted Black Sea grain deal

Countries in a region rattled by climate change could experience acute food shortages due to Russia exiting the grain initiative, analysts warn

Kampala, Uganda – Russia’s decision on Monday to pull out of an agreement which allowed the export of Ukrainian agricultural goods via a safe channel through the Black Sea amid the continuing war is already reverberating far from the front lines of fighting in Ukraine.

For years, East African countries rattled by global climate change have relied on Ukrainian grain exports for sustenance. Now, an end to the agreement could lead to rising consumer prices, and further strain farmers and cash-strapped aid organisations already struggling to respond to challenges like conflict to drought, analysts say.

“We already know or can predict to a fair degree the impact the pausing of exports from that region to the rest of the world, especially East Africa and the Horn of Africa, will have on food prices,” said Debisi Araba, a food policy strategist and former managing director at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF).

“We should expect to see an inflationary pressure on the price of grain, especially on countries that are dependent on imports – where these grains are mostly staples feeding millions of people – pushing more people into vulnerability and insecurity,” he added.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was negotiated by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022. It allowed ships carrying fertiliser and agricultural products to leave three Ukrainian ports, traversing carefully mapped routes to avoid mines and snaking past Russian warships en route to Turkey’s Bosporus strait.

As a result, some 32.8 million tonnes of Ukrainian corn, wheat and other grains have been exported since the agreement was signed last year.

More than half of this grain went to developing countries, often in the form of World Food Programme donations, which alone received 313 metric tonnes of Ukrainian wheat. Much of that was then donated to drought-affected communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, a World Food Programme (WFP) representative told Al Jazeera by telephone from Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

At a signing ceremony in Istanbul last year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres celebrated the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a “beacon of hope”.

Now, humanitarians are raising the alarm of probable food shortages.

“We will have to look at other markets, which increases our lead time, and potentially increases the cost of bringing that food into this market,” said Brenda Kariuki, the WFP spokesperson for East Africa. “More people might be pushed into hunger.”

The Black Sea Grain Initiative has also had a stabilising effect on global markets. Since the deal was done last July, food costs dropped about 23 percent from the peak they reached in March 2022.

This agreement was subsequently stretched out through a series of short-term extensions, the latest in March 2023.

But feeling the sting of Western sanctions, Russia has now decided to pause involvement in the deal unless certain key demands were met, including the easing of restrictions on its own fertiliser products.

Kariuki, of the WFP, was already concerned about potential aid cuts as a result of fluctuation in wheat prices.

“If you think of higher costs of food anywhere in the world, even in the homestead, everyone has to tighten their belts to really make sure they are able to afford the food when the prices go up,” she said. “We will probably be in a position where WFP has to prioritise who gets the food.

“We are looking at significant people in need of food assistance, and yet we are having less and less resources, for food that is getting more and more expensive,” Kariuki added.

The end of the agreement could acutely affect a region already reeling from unpredictable seasons, poor crop yields and livestock deaths, as a result of a fast-warming planet.

Somalia, for example, is currently undergoing the worst drought it has experienced in four decades.

“Ending the Black Sea Grain Initiative is adding challenges for countries already experiencing the effects of a changing climate,” said Ayan Mahamoud, a climate resilience expert with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) trade bloc whose members are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. “Climate change is known to disrupt agricultural productivity, affecting crop yields and food production.”

Sparse rain brought some relief to Somali farmers earlier this year, but the country is still heavily dependent on food shipped in from other countries.

“Agricultural production in Somalia is already extremely low because of drought and decades of conflict and violence. This leaves Somalia highly reliant on grain imports, with cereal crops making up about a third of the Somali diet in calories,” said Cyril Jaurena, who manages operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the country.

“Close to 40 percent of the population are facing acute levels of food insecurity and even small increases in prices can make it even more difficult for families to put food on the table.”

Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia have also imported significant amounts of grain under the Black Sea grain deal, and so stand to suffer during pauses or stoppages in imports.

The United States has urged Russia to resume its participation in the deal, as has UN secretary-general Guterres. Meanwhile, Ukraine will now have to resort to exporting agricultural products via land and railway, at a lower volume and with higher costs.

With the grain initiative in the balance, African activists and economists are calling for climate-smart solutions to support local farmers and ramp up production, reducing import dependency.

“We have to try and build self-sufficiency. Most of our constraints are on the supply side,” said Brain Sserunjogi, a fellow at the Economic Policy Research Centre in Uganda. “We have to invest in irrigation measures to make sure that we strengthen our production base for some of the food that we eat. We have to develop our local fertiliser industries.”

While wheat prices in Uganda have yet to drop to their pre-war levels, the effects of Russia pulling out of the grain deal may be less extreme in Uganda than in neighbouring countries, as many people depend on maize and cassava as staple foods, rather than on wheat.

Nonetheless, the current cessation of the agreement has opened the door for conversations on the importance of localisation.

“There is no reason why African countries are net food importers. We have the potential to grow our food, we have the potential to produce our own fertilisers,” said Jane Nalunga, head of the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Negotiations Institute.

From her office in the bustling Ugandan capital of Kampala and over a plate of matoke, a dish of stewed and mashed green banana, she called on governments to bolster local agriculture production and strengthen regional trade, rather than renegotiate import agreements.

“Food is an issue of sovereignty. For somebody to feed you, you know that you are not a sovereign nation,” Nalunga added.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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Man sentenced to prison for defrauding US border wall supporters

Timothy Shea receives the longest prison sentence yet for his participation in the ‘We Build the Wall’ scheme

A court in the United States has handed down the highest sentence yet to a defendant involved in the “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign, which purported to support the construction of former President Donald Trump’s wall along the border with Mexico.

Timothy Shea, 52, of Castle Rock, Colorado, received a prison sentence on Tuesday of five years and three months for his role in what prosecutors called “a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors”.

“We Build the Wall” was created to raise funds for an expansion of the barrier along the US-Mexico border, initiated by Trump as a key part of his controversial immigration platform.

An estimated total of $25m was raised through the fundraising drive. But prosecutors have alleged that, instead of contributing to the border wall’s construction, hundreds of thousands of dollars went instead towards the organisers’ personal gain.

At Shea’s sentencing in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday, US District Judge Analisa Torres accused the Colorado businessman and his co-defendants of betraying the public’s confidence.

“They hurt us all by eroding the public’s faith in the political process,” she said.

Three other defendants were charged along with Shea in 2020 for their role in the scheme: military veteran Brian Kolfage, financier Andrew Badolato and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

Kolfage and Badolato have since pleaded guilty to their roles in defrauding donors. They were sentenced in April, with Kolfage receiving a prison term of four years and three months, and Badolato receiving a three-year term.

Bannon, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to face trial on May 28, 2024.

The sentence Judge Torres awarded Shea mirrored the full amount of what prosecutors had requested.

Shea’s defence team, meanwhile, had pushed for a lighter sentence of two years, arguing that Shea was not a mastermind in the fundraising scheme.

Prosecutors, however, alleged that Shea pocketed approximately $180,000 and helped launder more money with his co-defendants through shell companies.

Those practices clashed with promises made through the “We Build a Wall” campaign, including that its organisers would “not take a penny in salary or compensation” and that all proceeds would go towards the border wall “mission”.

In October, a jury unanimously convicted Shea of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice.

In addition to his prison sentence, Shea faces three years of supervised release, as well as a fine of $1,801,707 and restitution of $1,801,707.

“Timothy Shea abused the trust of donors to ‘We Build the Wall’, stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to line his own pockets, and attempted to obstruct the federal investigation of his criminal conduct,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a press release on Tuesday. “The defendant has now been held accountable.”

Border walls remain a divisive form of deterrence along the US-Mexico border, with Republicans and Democrats split over their use.

Trump, a candidate in the 2024 presidential race, successfully campaigned in 2016 on a hardline immigration platform, including a border wall. At rallies, he would lead supporters in chants of: “Build that wall! Build that wall!”

He ultimately completed more than 724km (450 miles) of construction along the border, much of which replaced or upgraded existing barriers. The southern border, however, is much larger: approximately 3,145km (1,954 miles) wide.

The White House issued a proclamation halting construction on the same day that Trump’s successor, Democrat Joe Biden, was sworn into office — on January 20, 2021.

“Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution,” Biden’s proclamation reads. “It is a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security.”

The border construction had drawn criticism from humanitarian, Indigenous and environmental groups that objected to the increased dangers posed by the new border fencing and the destructive practices used to erect it.

Still, the Republican-led state of Texas has continued to build barriers along the southern border in an attempt to crack down on irregular crossings.

On Monday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a floating border barrier installed in the middle of the Rio Grande.

The barrier — a chain of giant buoys anchored to the riverbed — has sparked territorial concerns with Mexico, as well as fears it may lead to increased drownings.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Deadly Mediterranean Wildfires Kill More Than 40

 More than 40 people have died in Algeria, Italy and Greece as Mediterranean wildfires threaten villages and holiday resorts, and thousands have been evacuated.

The entire island of Rhodes has been put into a state of emergency, as fires also rage on Corfu and Evia.
The current long heatwave shows no let-up – temperatures are expected to rise above 44C (111F) in parts of Greece.
Fires in Sicily and Puglia have forced thousands of people to flee.

High winds and tinder-dry vegetation mean firefighters are struggling in many areas to douse the flames and create firebreaks.

The heaviest death toll so far is in Algeria, where the 34 victims included 10 soldiers surrounded by flames during an evacuation in the coastal province of Bejaia, east of Algiers. Bejaia is the worst-hit area, accounting for 23 of the deaths, local media report.

Algerian authorities said 80% of the blazes had been put out since Sunday, but a massive firefighting effort continues, involving about 8,000 personnel, hundreds of fire engines and some aircraft.

Fires have also raged in neighbouring Tunisia, where 300 people had to be evacuated from the coastal village of Melloula.

In Greece, the Civil Protection Ministry warned of an “extreme danger” of fire in six of the country’s 13 regions on Wednesday.
A team of climate scientists – the World Weather Attribution group – said this month’s intense heatwave in Southern Europe, North America and China would have been virtually impossible without human-induced climate change.

Two pilots died on the island of Evia, just north of Athens, when their Canadair firefighting plane crashed into a ravine. Elsewhere on the island a man’s charred body was found in a remote rural shack.

On the island of Rhodes more than 20,000 people have been evacuated from homes and resorts in the south in recent days. An airport official told AFP news agency that more than 5,000 had flown home on more than 40 emergency flights between Sunday and Tuesday.

Holiday firms Jet2 and Tui have cancelled departures for Rhodes for the coming days.

Tourism accounts for one in five jobs in Greece, and the industry is vital for Rhodes and many other islands. The UK Foreign Office has not advised against travel to the affected parts of Greece, but has urged tourists to check with tour operators for updates.

Thousands of people have also been evacuated on Evia and Corfu, while Crete – another major holiday destination – is on high alert.

Italy has been hit by contrasting extreme weather events – with deadly storms in the north and wildfires in Sicily as well as several more southern regions.

A couple in their 70s were found dead in a fire-gutted holiday home near Palermo, after fire came close to the boundary of the city’s airport. An 88-year-old woman also died near the city.

Parts of the city of Catania went without water and power after cables burned in temperatures that climbed to 47.6C on Monday.

On the mainland, in Calabria, just east of Sicily, a man aged 98 was trapped by flames in his home and his daughter and son-in-law suffered burns while trying to save him.

A wildfire in the Foggia region, on Italy’s Adriatic coast, forced the evacuation of 2,000 people from hotels and campsites. The blaze approached Vieste from a nearby national park.

The storms in the north, meanwhile, claimed two lives on Tuesday – victims of falling trees.

Tornadoes, hailstorms and gale-force winds of up to 110km/h (70mph) struck Lombardy and other northern regions. Chiara Rossetti, 16, was on a scouts’ summer camp trip when her tent was hit by a tree in the province of Brescia.

“We are experiencing in Italy one of the most complicated days in recent decades – rainstorms, tornadoes and giant hail in the north, and scorching heat and devastating fires in the centre and south,” said Civil Protection minister Nello Musumeci.

He said he intended to appeal to the EU to boost its fleet of Canadair firefighting planes.

Fires also broke out on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in the early hours of Wednesday. Gales of up to 130km/h (80mph) whipped up the flames and for several hours three villages came under threat.

Source: BBC

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Over 1,800 ‘terrorist attacks’ in West Africa in 2023: ECOWAS

The West African bloc is set to discuss strengthening a regional standby force to tackle insecurity and threats of coups.

West Africa recorded more than 1,800 attacks in the first six months of the year resulting in nearly 4,600 deaths with dire humanitarian consequences, which according to a top regional official is just “a snippet of the horrendous impact of insecurity”.

Omar Touray told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that half a million people in the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are refugees and nearly 6.2 million are internally displaced.

Without adequate international response to the 30 million people in need of food in the region, that number could increase to 42 million by the end of August, he added.

Touray, who is president of the ECOWAS Commission, blamed organised crime, armed rebellion, unconstitutional changes of government, illegal maritime activities, environmental crises, and fake news for driving insecurity in the region.

He said the region is worried about the resurgence of the military, with three countries – Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea – under military rule.

“The reversal of democratic gains runs parallel to insecurity that West Africa and the Sahel have been facing for some time now,” said Touray, a former Gambian foreign minister.

Between January and June 30, there were 2,725 attacks in Burkina Faso, 844 in Mali, 77 in Niger and 70 attacks in Nigeria that all led to 4,593 deaths, according to Touray.

He added that attacks in Benin and Togo which have coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean are a “stark indication of the expansion of terrorism to littoral states, a situation that poses an additional threat to the region”.

ECOWAS military chiefs of staff have held consultations to strengthen a regional standby force “in a manner that will enable it to support member states in the fight against terrorism and against threats to constitutional order”, he said.

Touray said the military chiefs proposed two options, establishing a 5,000-strong brigade at an annual cost of $2.3bn or deployment of troops on demand at an annual cost of $360m.

He reiterated the African Union’s request for African peace operations to receive funding from the UN regular budget, to which all 193 UN member states contribute.

Touray said the military staff recommendations were made before Mali’s military government demanded that the 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in the country leave, which was followed by the Security Council’s unanimous vote on June 30 to immediately end the mission. Mali has brought in mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group to help fight armed groups.

Touray told the UNSC that ECOWAS leaders are convening an extraordinary session on peace and security by the end of August which will be chaired by Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s new president who became the bloc’s chair this July.

The UNSC was also briefed by the new head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simao, who said the security situation in the central Sahel, especially the border region of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, “has deteriorated further, with multiple attacks against civilians and defence and security forces”.

Simao appealed for “robust and decisive support” for the ECOWAS action plan to stem insecurity in the Sahel.

United States deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council the US “remains gravely concerned by democratic backsliding across the region” and is “deeply concerned by the spread of instability in coastal West Africa”.

He accused the Wagner Group of “committing human rights abuses and endangering the safety and security of civilians, peacekeepers and UN.. personnel”.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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