Amid Russian invasion, resilient Ukraine donates wheat to war-torn Ethiopia

NAIROBI, Kenya - The Ethiopian government has received a major boost following the decision by Ukraine to unleash the second vessel of wheat which would substantially help the country to deal with hunger following months of drought and civil war in the Horn of Africa nation.

On Sunday, the BC CALLISTO vessel carrying Ukrainian wheat left for Ethiopia through the "grain corridor" as part of the Grain from Ukraine initiative.
According to Ukrinform, the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine said this in a post on Facebook.

"The second ship with 30,000 tonnes of wheat has been sent to Ethiopia. The BC CALLISTO is the second ship as part of the program launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in partnership with the World Food Program [WFP] of the United Nations," the report said.

Last month, the first vessel the NORD VIND, arrived at the port of Djibouti on December 3. Some 25,000 tonnes of humanitarian wheat from Ukraine will be delivered to the residents of Ethiopia, a country that is dealing with internal challenges including but not limited to the Tigray conflict.

According to the report, two more bulkers -- NEVA and RUBYMAR -- are being loaded in the port of Chornomorsk. They will deliver 55,000 tonnes of humanitarian wheat to Somalia and Sudan.

Within two days, Ukraine's Black Sea ports sent nine ships with 336,000 tonnes of agricultural products to countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Since the beginning of the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the world has received 13 million tonnes of Ukrainian foodstuff.

The European country has been fighting with Russia in the last couple of months leading to the death of thousands of people and the displacement of others. Ethiopia on the other hand has been facing instability following the war between Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] and the Tigray People's Liberation Front [TPLF].

For the last two months, the United Nations and other stakeholders have been urging warring parties to embrace a ceasefire and pave way for the smooth implementation of the peace deal. The United States has warned parties that may try to violate the deal which was signed in Pretoria and Nairobi.

GAROWE ONLINE