President of Senegal and Chairman of the African Union Maki Sall stressed that if the export of wheat from Ukraine is not resumed, Africa “will find itself in a very dangerous situation of famine, which could destabilize the continent.”

And he emphasized in an interview with the press that “work should now be carried out to stop the demining of the Odessa port with the participation of the UN so that we can start mining Ukrainian wheat”, noting that “given that our banks are mainly connected with European banks, they are not can pay as before” for Russian products.

Russia’s war with Ukraine and Western sanctions against Moscow have disrupted grain exports from the two countries, raising fears of global food insecurity. Grain prices rose in the world’s poorest African countries, exacerbating the effects of the conflict in Ukraine and raising fears of social unrest.

Russia and Ukraine produce 30 percent of the world’s wheat, but the grain has been stuck in Ukraine’s ports due to a Russian blockade, and Western sanctions on Moscow have interrupted exports from Russia.