How the invasion of Ukraine will spread hunger in the Middle East and Africa
By raising the price of food and fuel, Vladimir Putin’s war will cause misery and unrest
THE LAST time Egypt raised bread prices, the Soviet Union was still intact. Since 1989 subsidised bakeries have offered 20 loaves of aish baladi, a glutinous pita that is a staple, for one Egyptian pound. Back then that sum was worth almost $1. Today it is worth about six cents, less than a tenth of what it costs to produce the bread.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Bread and oil”
From the March 12th 2022 edition
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Khartoum changes hands, heralding a new phase in Sudan’s civil war
The national army may now try to push into Darfur
The war in Gaza has unsettled the Jewish diaspora
They have found uneasy alliances with their new protectors on the right
Israel courts the Middle East’s minorities
Why Israel seeks alliances outside the Arab and Sunni Muslim majority
Nigeria’s president pushes the limits of his power
A crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta raises questions about the rule of law
A faster rollout of malaria vaccines would save many lives
But someone needs to pay for it—just when aid budgets are being slashed
The success of Ivory Coast is Africa’s best-kept secret
How has it managed to outshine its peers?