Rwanda Donates 1 000 Tonnes Of Maize To Zimbabwe
Rwanda has donated 1,000 tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe in response to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s declaration of the 2023/2024 agricultural season as a national state of disaster.
The declaration was prompted by an El Niño-induced drought that has left more than 7 million Zimbabweans in rural and urban areas food insecure.
Speaking at the 30th anniversary of the National Liberation Day of Rwanda in Harare on Thursday, 11 July, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava said (via The Herald):
As we celebrate Rwanda’s National Day today (yesterday), a consignment of 1,000 tonnes of maize is on its way to Zimbabwe from Kigali.
We are grateful for the generosity of the President of Rwanda, His Excellency President Paul Kagame, the government and the people of Rwanda, for this gesture of solidarity.
This is the spirit of ubuntu that Rwanda has demonstrated by responding to the international appeal by His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, in the wake of the El Nino-induced drought experienced during the 2023-2024 season.
In April 2024, Mnangagwa declared the drought a state of national disaster, issuing an appeal for resources from aid agencies and development partners.
Despite assurances that no one will die of hunger, the Zimbabwean government has revised its food relief funding appeal from the initial US$2 billion to US$3 billion.
More: Pindula News
