Grain arriving in East Africa today is not for private sector

As we reported earlier, the first shipment of grain from Ukraine to East Africa since the war began docking today at the Red Sea port in Djibouti.

While this latest shipment offers some relief for Ethiopia - where some of the shipment is due to be transported - the wheat will not make its way to shops and markets due to concerns there's not enough there.

"We really need to see increased shipments coming from Ukraine, Russia and others in support of what is a very dire situation today in the Horn of Africa and across the region," Michael Dunford, East Africa director for the United Nations' World Food Programme, told the BBC earlier.

The UN hopes today's shipment will boost confidence within the private sector by proving it is possible to safely ship grain from the Black Sea to Africa, where rising global food prices and difficulties raising donor funding have forced the UN to cut rations for refugees and displaced people.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: BBC