Russia has donated more than 1,600 tons of grain to Ethiopia as part of its ongoing food aid initiative, TASS reported on Thursday, citing the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa.
The donation aims to support refugees in Ethiopia’s Gambella region, where severe funding shortages have left many in need.
The embassy explained that funding shortages had severely impacted food aid programs in the region, leaving refugees supported by the UN World Food Program (WFP) with only 60% of their daily nutritional needs. The Russian grain donation will provide critical assistance to 163,240 refugees.
The grain handover ceremony was held on Thursday at the WFP’s main logistics hub in Adama. Russian ambassador to Ethiopia, Yevgeny Terekhin, participated in the event, highlighting the strong historical ties between Russia and Ethiopia. He referenced Soviet humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia during the Great Famine of the late 1980s and reiterated Moscow’s continued commitment to supporting vulnerable populations.
“We hope that the Russian grain now being transferred will help Ethiopia to support needy populations in drought-affected areas,” Terekhin stated. He also extended gratitude to WFP colleagues for their role in transporting and distributing the grain.
The ambassador detailed Russia’s broader contributions to the WFP, noting that the country funds the organization’s activities to the tune of between $60 million and $70 million annually. “This money is used to buy food, including in Russia, which is then delivered to the hot spots of famine,” Terekhin said.
Russia’s humanitarian efforts extend beyond Ethiopia. The Telegram channel of the news agency African Initiative reported that more than 70 tons of sunflower oil were delivered to Port Sudan just before the new year as part of an additional Russian contribution to the UN WFP fund.
Moscow also recently sent humanitarian aid to Mali. On December 30, more than 65 tons of wheat arrived at the port of Conakry, Guinea.
At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last February, Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev reported that Moscow had successfully delivered 200,000 tons of wheat to six low-income African nations, free of charge, making it the biggest humanitarian initiative ever conducted by Russia.
Meanwhile, the Russian company Uralchem, one of the world’s largest fertilizer producers, has sent more than 134,000 tons of fertilizers to African nations free of charge since late 2022. In collaboration with the WFP, over 111,000 tons have been shipped from European ports and warehouses to Malawi, Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.