Afrique

Des collines étincelantes et des façades éclatantes : si ce décor évoque immédiatement la Grèce, le média américain Travel Off Path bouscule les clichés. Dans […]

L’article Oubliez Mykonos : cette destination algérienne s’impose parmi les plus belles villes blanches en 2026 est apparu en premier sur .

Il y a plus de 30 ans, environ 100 000 femmes ont appris à faire du vélo dans le cadre d'une campagne d'alphabétisation menée dans le sud de l'Inde. Ces compétences leur ont apporté indépendance, autonomie financière et liberté.

Après des semaines de tension extrême sur les prix des légumes, une lueur d’espoir apparaît enfin sur les étals. Entre données de terrain encourageantes et […]

L’article Marché des légumes : les premiers signes de baisse se confirment ? Voici les prix actuels est apparu en premier sur .

Les États membres de l'Union européenne ont validé la création d'un groupe de travail chargé de rédiger le traité d'adhésion du Monténégro. Une avancée majeure qui marque l'entrée dans la phase finale des négociations, plus de dix ans après le dernier élargissement.

- Le fil de l'Info / Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Elargissement UE, Monténégro, Questions européennes

The EU Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on new rules aimed at modernising the coordination of social security systems in the EU.

A Tanács Kirsten Joppét nevezte ki az Európai Unió moldovai partnerségi missziójának (EUPM Moldova) új misszióvezetőjévé.

The High Representative issued a statement on behalf of the European Union marking three years of war in Sudan.

A Tanács a mai napon megállapodott arról, hogy a közös biztonság- és védelempolitika keretében létrehozza az EU örményországi polgári partnerségi misszióját. A misszió célja, hogy fokozza Örményország rezilienciáját, mindenekelőtt a külföldi információmanipulációval és beavatkozással szembeni küzdelem, valamint a kiberbiztonság és az információk integritása területén.

A Tanács következtéseket fogadott el „Az uniós energia- és klímadiplomácia – a szuverenitás megerősítése és a tiszta energiára való globális átállás előmozdítása” címmel.

A Tanács újabb korlátozó intézkedéseket fogadott el, mégpedig két, propagandát és dezinformációt terjesztő szervezettel szemben.

The Political and Security Committee of the Council of the EU has approved EPF support for the military component of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) worth EUR 75 million.

A Tanács hivatalosan elfogadta az új génkezelési technikákra (NGT-k) vonatkozó új szabályokat, amelyek szigorú biztonsági intézkedések bevezetése mellett támogatják az innovációt, az ellenállóbb növényfajtákat és a fenntartható élelmiszerrendszereket.

Az új uniós szabályok harmonizált büntetőjogi keretet hoznak létre a korrupció megelőzése és az ellene történő fellépés érdekében.

A Tanács egy újabb évvel, azaz a 2027. április 29-ig tartó időszakra meghosszabbította az uniós korlátozó intézkedések keretének hatályát azokkal a személyekkel és szervezetekkel szemben, akiket vagy amelyeket felelősség terhel a Moldovai Köztársaság szuverenitásának és függetlenségének destabilizálására, aláásására vagy fenyegetésére irányuló tevékenységekért.

A Tanács új szabályokat fogadott el az erdészeti szaporítóanyagok minőségének, rendelkezésre állásának és nyomonkövethetőségének javítása érdekében, hogy ezzel is támogassa az uniós vetőmagágazat innovációját és versenyképességét.

Alors que les dirigeants de l'UE se réunissent à Chypre pour discuter de la crise du Golfe, cette figure de l'opposition iranienne s'entretient avec Euractiv avant les réunions prévues au Bundestag à Berlin

The post La neutralité, « c’est de la complicité » : Reza Pahlavi exhorte l’Europe à durcir sa position vis-à-vis de Téhéran appeared first on Euractiv FR.

The African Union Commission and the Economic Commission for Africa announce an emergency plan to respond to the impacts of the Middle East conflict. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS

By Busani Bafana
TANGIER, Morocco, Apr 23 2026 (IPS)

Fearing the Middle East war could drive millions into hunger and cripple economies, Africa’s leading institutions are drafting a strategy to mobilise domestic and “innovative” finance and harness national competitiveness to stabilise food, fuel, and fertiliser supplies.

The African Union Commission (AUC), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are creating a plan to cushion countries from energy shocks triggered by the Middle East war.

Since February 2026, fighting between Iran, the United States, Israel, and their Gulf allies has disrupted oil, gas, and fertiliser supplies, with prices surging after the collapse of peace talks. Oil prices have topped $100 a barrel, hitting African countries that import more than 38% of their petroleum from the Gulf region.

A ‘Perfect Storm’ for Food Security

ECA’s executive secretary, Claver Gatete, underscored the urgency.

“We are seeing a crisis where fuel is affected and fertiliser is affected and that means food prices will go up,” said Gatete. “The impact will be severe.”

Gatete noted that the war threatens food security, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 80% of fertiliser is imported, risking higher farming costs and reduced yields. With the planting season underway in many countries, farmers are in fear of a sharp rise in input costs because of disruptions to global fertiliser and fuel markets. Africa is a major importer of fertilisers, mainly nitrogen and phosphate.

“This moment calls for decisive action, to protect people now, but also to accelerate Africa’s long-term push towards energy security, food sovereignty, and financial self-reliance,” Gatete said.

According to a policy brief issued jointly by AUC, ECA, AfDB, and UNDP, the war that has triggered trade shocks could soon become a cost-of-living crisis across Africa as a result of high fuel and food prices.

The proposed joint strategy is divided into immediate, medium and long-term responses.

• Short term: Activate contingency import financing, pooled fuel procurement, emergency food corridors and diversified fertiliser sourcing, backed by international and regional lenders. Countries will deploy targeted social protection for the vulnerable, avoiding broad subsidies that risk fiscal strain.
• Medium term: Bolster energy security, social protection and intra-African trade via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Protect and rebuild fiscal space through strong domestic resource mobilisation, targeted social protection, and buffers. Build African financial safety nets by deepening domestic capital markets, reforming the African financial architecture, and developing shock-response instruments such as crisis facilities and debt-service swaps.
• Long term: The African Union will champion the Continental Crisis and Resilience Compact for energy and food security, financial safety nets, and trade autonomy. Operationalise the African Financial Stability Mechanism (AFSM) via reserve pooling, reallocated SDRs and liquidity backstops. Strengthen AU mechanisms for geopolitical unity, multilateralism, and non-alignment; diversify partnerships; and craft continental fuel and fertiliser strategies.

African institutions crafting an emergency response plan to counter the impact of the Middle East war. AI-generated graphic/Busani Bafana

Under the plan, the ECA will handle macroeconomic coordination, debt analytics and a continental dashboard tracking trade, inflation, debt services, and reserves.

The AfDB will provide countercyclical financing, trade guarantees, and emergency support for energy, fertiliser, and food chains. In addition, it will support reforms to Africa’s financial architecture. The UNDP has been tasked with leading country vulnerability mapping and digital targeting systems for social response.

Beyond the direct cost of commodities, the war is affecting remittances, a vital lifeline for millions of African households. Approximately 6.5 million Africans live and work in the Middle East, and they send home about $26bn annually, Gatete noted.

African Union Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the continued escalation of the war worsens global instability, with serious implications for energy markets, food security, and economic resilience, particularly in Africa, where economic pressures are mounting.

“One of the solutions should be and must be a financial solution and we would rely on our financial institutions on the continent – AfDB, Afreximbank and African Finance Corporation (AFC) – to come up with a contingency plan with regard to the necessary resources for our countries.”

The currencies of 29 African countries have already depreciated, and this trend is increasing the local currency cost of servicing external debt and making imports more expensive, according to a report by the African Development Bank.

The brief warned that, for some African countries, the fertiliser channel may be even more consequential than the oil shock. Disruptions to Gulf liquid natural gas (LNG) supply would affect ammonia and urea production, raising fertiliser costs and constraining supply during the crucial March–May planting season.

“This would put further upward pressure on food prices and hit vulnerable households hardest, with significant negative impacts on food security in Africa,”  the brief said.

Call for Debt Relief

The policy brief also calls for a “moratorium on debt services” to provide governments with the fiscal breathing space to absorb the shock.

Youssouf said there is a case for African countries to push for a new allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) from the IMF, similar to the support provided during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our crisis response is not for development finance institutions alone,” said Kevin Urama, Chief Economist at the AfDB, highlighting that the AfDB, Afrixembank and other  African financial institutions always come up with a crisis response facility.

“This moment demands leadership within Africa and from its partners,” stressed Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa. “With the right mix of policy choices, financing tools, and political resolve, Africa can weather this shock and emerge more resilient, more self-reliant, and better positioned to shape its own economic future.”

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has warned that the ongoing Middle East war will affect global trade with risks to food security through the disruption of  fertilizer supplies.

Sustained increases in energy prices could increase risks for global trade, with potential spillovers for food security and cost pressures on consumers and businesses.

Opportunities Amid Conflict

The brief noted that while the Middle East war is generating economic risks for Africa, a few countries may see short-term gains through higher commodity prices, trade diversion, and re-routed logistics. For example, Nigeria stands to benefit from higher oil prices and the export expansion of the Dangote Refinery, while Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, and Kenya could gain from increased traffic through their ports.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Le cabinet du ministre français de l'Écologie a indiqué que cette réunion de deux jours porterait sur des « questions moins controversées », dans le but d'apaiser le membre le plus influent du G7

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Sur les routes algériennes, les contrôles des véhicules de transport de marchandises s’orientent vers une évolution technique. Le ministère des Travaux publics et des Infrastructures […]

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Les capitales s'opposent aux initiatives visant à accélérer l'adhésion de Kiev

The post L’Ukraine remporte l’argent, mais son adhésion à l’UE est au point mort appeared first on Euractiv FR.