Ukraine donates 7600 tonnes of wheat to Sudan

SUDAN – Sudan has received 7,600 tonnes of wheat donated by Ukraine under the Grain from Ukraine initiative, according to the UN World Food Program (WFP).

The shipment, according to WFP, was made possible by the German Federal Foreign Office, which covered entire operating costs of EUR €15 million (US$16M).

This includes the transportation costs of the wheat from Ukraine to Sudan and the implementation and distribution within the country to people in need.

The WFP said that the shipment is enough to feed a million people for a month.

“This donation will enable WFP to support people whose lives have been completely upended by the war. We are deeply grateful to Ukraine and Germany for supporting the Sudanese people in their greatest hour of need,” WFP’s Country-Director in Sudan Eddie Rowe said.

According to the press release, the Ukrainian grain arrived in Port Sudan and is being loaded onto WFP trucks for emergency food distributions in the war-torn country. The 7,600 tonnes of wheat flour will be provided to families, many of whom have fled their homes due to the fighting and are struggling every day to meet their food needs.

As the war raging across the country enters its tenth month, WFP is working around the clock to urgently deliver critical food assistance to families in Sudan who are struggling with skyrocketing food insecurity. 

WFP underscores that this donation has arrived at a critical time in Sudan’s hunger crisis as fighting continues to spread ahead of the lean season in May, when food typically becomes scarcer, and hunger rises.

Currently, nearly 18 million people face acute food insecurity in Sudan, of which nearly 5 million are in emergency levels of hunger. WFP has already provided around 7 million people with emergency food and nutrition support since the conflict began last April, yet needs continue to grow.

The Ukrainian wheat comes just days after Russia announced the completion of its program to send 200,000 tonnes of grain to Africa.

According to Reuters, this initiative stems from a commitment made during a summit with African leaders in July 2023, following Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Ukraine. 

President Putin vowed to provide free grain to Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic, citing the failure of the previous grain deal to adequately address the needs of these nations amidst ongoing conflicts.

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