Ukraine war threatens food supplies in fragile Arab world

By ZEINA KARAM
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Soaring energy and food prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are pushing some Middle Eastern and North African countries to the brink. Millions of people whose lives were already upended by conflict, displacement and poverty are now wondering where their next meals will come from. Escalating global hunger and poverty can bring dire consequences. In Iraq and Sudan, public frustration at food prices and a lack of government services erupted in street protests on several occasions over the past several weeks. The unrest echoed that of 2011, when skyrocketing bread prices fueled anti-government protests across the Middle East in what became known as the Arab Spring.