Middle East and North Africa feeling effects of War in Ukraine as prices soar for basic items

Syria, Salheen (Aleppo), 25 March 2020 WFP is working with partner organization the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to distribute food to the most vulnerable and ensure that families are aware of COVID-19 and how they can stay safe. Food distribution times are now staggered to reduce crowds, food is placed in small piles at least 1 meter apart, staff and beneficiaries have access to hand sanitizer and all beneficiaries are required to maintain social distancing while collecting their food. SARC are also holding awareness sessions so all beneficiaries are kept informed about the pandemic. In the Photo: around 2000 household receive bread and flyers about COVID19 in Salheen, a poor neighborhood in Aleppo. It was under opposition control till late 2016 and you can see massive destruction of buildings. People here rely on daily or weekly wages, which have stopped now due to precautionary measures for COVID-19. Photo: WFP/Khudr Alissa

Rev 6:6 NAS And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”

Important Takeaways:

  • War in Ukraine pushes Middle East and North Africa deeper into hunger as food prices reach alarming highs
  • As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, the soaring cost of food staples in import-dependent Middle Eastern and North African countries is creating ever greater challenges for millions of families already struggling to keep hunger at bay, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said today.
  • The prices of wheat flour and vegetable oil – two key staples in the diet of most families – have consequently risen across the region. Cooking oil is up 36 percent in Yemen and 39 percent in Syria. Wheat flour is up 47 percent in Lebanon, 15 percent in Libya and 14 percent in Palestine.
  • The cost of a basic food basket – the minimum food needs per family per month – registered an annual increase of 351 percent in Lebanon, the highest in the region. It was followed by Syria, with a 97 percent rise, and Yemen with 81 percent hike

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