Some 50,000 tons of grain, a humanitarian gift from the Russian people to the Central African Republic (CAR), has arrived at Douala Port in Cameroon, Moscow's Ambassador to the CAR Alexander Bikantov, told TASS on Thursday.
The grain arrived on two ships on Wednesday and the process of unloading has already begun, according to the envoy.
“Yesterday, the first ship with Russian food aid was unloaded in the port of Douala, Cameroon. Today the unloading of the second ship with Russian wheat is to begin. The total amount of assistance will be 50,000 tons of grain,” Bikantov told the news agency.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Russia had transferred 25,000 tons of free wheat to Mali, also as humanitarian aid. The shipment was delivered on January 6 to the port of Conakry in Guinea and the grain was then delivered to its intended destination.
“This is the fourth free-of-charge shipment of Russian goods to the Malian population [in recent times]. On June 7, June 18 and December 6, 2023, under the Russian Emergencies Ministry, a total of 50,000 tons of wheat [and] more than 22,000 tons of fertilizer, were shipped,” she pointed out.
According to Zakharova, Moscow “intends to continue to actively help African countries overcome acute social and economic problems, including through the provision of necessary humanitarian assistance.”
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman explained that the deliveries have been made within the framework of a decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced during the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg in July 2023, when he undertook to send some 200,000 tons of free wheat to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, CAR and Eritrea.
Last week, another 25,000-ton grain shipment, destined for Zimbabwe, arrived in the port of Beira, Mozambique.