Beirut: Russia’s invasion of UkraineWhich has already exacerbated the food crisis in parts of Africa and the Middle East, hampering preparations for the holy month Ramadan and force to be frugal iftar sunset meal,
From Lebanon to Tunisia and Somalia, Muslims who traditionally break their fast from dawn to dusk with lavish family meals are now struggling to keep even the most basic of foods safe. skyrocketing food and fuel prices,
“High prices affect and spoil the spirit of Ramadan,” said Saba Fattoum, a resident of the Israeli-blockade Gaza StripAccording to Palestinian officials, where the prices of consumer goods have increased by up to 11 percent.
“We have heard that prices will go up even more…
Russia and Ukraine, with vast grain-growing regions that are among the world’s main breadbaskets, account for a large proportion of world exports in several key commodities such as wheat, vegetable oil and corn.
Disruption in export flow as a result of Russian invasion And international sanctions have raised fears of a global hunger crisis, particularly across the Middle East and Africa, where effects are already taking place.
The toll is most pronounced in countries such as Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest, where the devastating war has sparked one of the world’s worst wars since 2014. humanitarian crisis,
food prices That has doubled from last year and the fact that Ukraine supplies nearly a third of Yemen’s wheat imports has raised fears of a deepening famine.
Mohsin Saleh, a resident of the capital Sanaa, said the prices go up every year before Ramadan, “but this year it has gone up like crazy, people can’t stand it.”
“The economic situation is very difficult,” the 43-year-old told AFP. “Most people in Yemen are poor and tired.”
In Syria, where conflict has plunged nearly 60 percent of the population into food insecurity since 2011, Ramadan has become, for many, a painful reminder of the better days.
The price of cooking oil has more than doubled since the beginning Ukraine war and is sold in limited quantities.
The Syrian government, not spared from its position as a staunch ally of Moscow, is also rationing wheat, sugar and rice.
“I thought last Ramadan was going to be our most frugal one,” said 62-year-old Damascus resident Basma Shabani, looking back a year after the Covid pandemic struck a chord.
“But it looks like this year we will be removing even more dishes from our spread.
“We can no longer have more than one type of dish on our table and I’m concerned that even this one dish will be out of our reach in the future.”
In Tunis, Ramadan traditions have also been put to the test.
Food donations, a common custom during the holy month, have fallen into a shambles, with former beneficiaries now struggling to source for themselves.
20-year-old student volunteer Mohammed Malek has been collecting food donations for Ramadan for years.
“Our donation cart usually fills up within the hour but this is not the case this year,” he told AFP.
“Some people are even telling us to ‘find food for ourselves first’.”
In Lebanon too, local charity networks are unraveling as the Ukraine crisis puts more pressure on a population hit by an unprecedented economic crisis since 2019.
“The strong solidarity that springs into action, especially in months like Ramadan, will be tested dramatically this year,” said Bujar Hoxha, Lebanese director of Care International.
“Extreme inflation in local markets and rising food prices have made the long-awaited month of Ramadan challenging for many Lebanese people,” he told AFP.
Many will “struggle to bring the iftar food to the table”.
In Egypt, a major importer of wheat from former Soviet states, Muslims are tightening their purse strings ahead of Ramadan – a time when spending typically rises.
In March, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered a price cap on unsubsidized bread after a 50 percent increase following the Russian invasion.
The local currency also lost 17 percent of its value in the same month.
“If someone used to buy three kilos of vegetables, now they are buying only one,” said Om Badreya, a street vendor in western Cairo.
Somalia, which is battling an Islamic insurgency and worst drought in 40 years, is also gearing up for a grim Ramadan as rising prices eroded the purchasing power of the 15-million-strong population.
Mogadishu resident Adla Noor said Ramadan will be very different as “fuel and food prices are skyrocketing”.
Even oil-rich Saudi Arabia is falling prey to it.
“Everything is getting more expensive… every time I pay about 20-30 riyals ($5-$8) more for the same products,” said Ahmed al-Assad, 38, a private sector employee.
However, Qatar has emerged as an exception, with the government slashing food prices ahead of Ramadan in a symbolic gesture.
Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said, “From Wednesday, 23 March until the holy month of Ramadan, prices of more than 800 items have been reduced in coordination with major outlets in Qatar.”
From Lebanon to Tunisia and Somalia, Muslims who traditionally break their fast from dawn to dusk with lavish family meals are now struggling to keep even the most basic of foods safe. skyrocketing food and fuel prices,
“High prices affect and spoil the spirit of Ramadan,” said Saba Fattoum, a resident of the Israeli-blockade Gaza StripAccording to Palestinian officials, where the prices of consumer goods have increased by up to 11 percent.
“We have heard that prices will go up even more…
Russia and Ukraine, with vast grain-growing regions that are among the world’s main breadbaskets, account for a large proportion of world exports in several key commodities such as wheat, vegetable oil and corn.
Disruption in export flow as a result of Russian invasion And international sanctions have raised fears of a global hunger crisis, particularly across the Middle East and Africa, where effects are already taking place.
The toll is most pronounced in countries such as Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest, where the devastating war has sparked one of the world’s worst wars since 2014. humanitarian crisis,
food prices That has doubled from last year and the fact that Ukraine supplies nearly a third of Yemen’s wheat imports has raised fears of a deepening famine.
Mohsin Saleh, a resident of the capital Sanaa, said the prices go up every year before Ramadan, “but this year it has gone up like crazy, people can’t stand it.”
“The economic situation is very difficult,” the 43-year-old told AFP. “Most people in Yemen are poor and tired.”
In Syria, where conflict has plunged nearly 60 percent of the population into food insecurity since 2011, Ramadan has become, for many, a painful reminder of the better days.
The price of cooking oil has more than doubled since the beginning Ukraine war and is sold in limited quantities.
The Syrian government, not spared from its position as a staunch ally of Moscow, is also rationing wheat, sugar and rice.
“I thought last Ramadan was going to be our most frugal one,” said 62-year-old Damascus resident Basma Shabani, looking back a year after the Covid pandemic struck a chord.
“But it looks like this year we will be removing even more dishes from our spread.
“We can no longer have more than one type of dish on our table and I’m concerned that even this one dish will be out of our reach in the future.”
In Tunis, Ramadan traditions have also been put to the test.
Food donations, a common custom during the holy month, have fallen into a shambles, with former beneficiaries now struggling to source for themselves.
20-year-old student volunteer Mohammed Malek has been collecting food donations for Ramadan for years.
“Our donation cart usually fills up within the hour but this is not the case this year,” he told AFP.
“Some people are even telling us to ‘find food for ourselves first’.”
In Lebanon too, local charity networks are unraveling as the Ukraine crisis puts more pressure on a population hit by an unprecedented economic crisis since 2019.
“The strong solidarity that springs into action, especially in months like Ramadan, will be tested dramatically this year,” said Bujar Hoxha, Lebanese director of Care International.
“Extreme inflation in local markets and rising food prices have made the long-awaited month of Ramadan challenging for many Lebanese people,” he told AFP.
Many will “struggle to bring the iftar food to the table”.
In Egypt, a major importer of wheat from former Soviet states, Muslims are tightening their purse strings ahead of Ramadan – a time when spending typically rises.
In March, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered a price cap on unsubsidized bread after a 50 percent increase following the Russian invasion.
The local currency also lost 17 percent of its value in the same month.
“If someone used to buy three kilos of vegetables, now they are buying only one,” said Om Badreya, a street vendor in western Cairo.
Somalia, which is battling an Islamic insurgency and worst drought in 40 years, is also gearing up for a grim Ramadan as rising prices eroded the purchasing power of the 15-million-strong population.
Mogadishu resident Adla Noor said Ramadan will be very different as “fuel and food prices are skyrocketing”.
Even oil-rich Saudi Arabia is falling prey to it.
“Everything is getting more expensive… every time I pay about 20-30 riyals ($5-$8) more for the same products,” said Ahmed al-Assad, 38, a private sector employee.
However, Qatar has emerged as an exception, with the government slashing food prices ahead of Ramadan in a symbolic gesture.
Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said, “From Wednesday, 23 March until the holy month of Ramadan, prices of more than 800 items have been reduced in coordination with major outlets in Qatar.”