A ship chartered by the UN to transport Ukrainian wheat to countries at risk of famine left for East Africa on Sunday.
The cargo ship “Brave Commander” departed from Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye port, east of Odessa, transports 23,000 tons of grain, Associated Press reported Sunday afternoon, cit regional governor Maksim Marchanka.
The vessel — the first specially chartered by the UN World Food Program to unlock food supplies stalled after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — will head to Djibouti, from where the grain will be transported to Ethiopia.
Last month, Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement with the UN and Turkey to restore grain supplies, the disruption of which deepened global food security. Millions of people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan in particular face dramatic food shortages, the UN says warned.
The first ship with grain that left Ukraine as part of the deal was rejected by his Lebanese buyer. Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported that the ship was approaching Syria on Sunday. Ukraine previously accused the Syrian regime of importing stolen grain.
