Addressing the Japan-Africa summit in Tunisia, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tokyo would work to secure grain shipments to Africa amid global shortages. “If we abandon a rule-based society and allow unilateral changes of the status quo by force, the impact of this will spread not only to Africa, but to the whole world,” Kishida said via video link after testing positive for COVID-19. . Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Kishida said the $30 billion would be delivered over three years, promising smaller amounts for food security in coordination with the African Development Bank. Tunisia’s state news agency quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi as saying that Japan is giving Tunisia $100 million to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The summit gave Tunisian President Kais Saied his biggest international platform since his election in 2019 and comes after he seized broad powers, formally granted through a constitutional referendum, in a move his critics call a coup. Speaking Friday at a joint press conference with his Japanese counterpart, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi repeatedly stressed Tunisia’s commitment to democracy, which has been questioned by Saied’s critics. The summit has sparked a row between Tunisia and Morocco, which was angered by Saied’s decision to invite the Polisario movement that seeks independence from Western Sahara, a region Rabat claims as its own. Morocco and Tunisia have recalled their ambassadors from each other’s countries for consultations. Rabat said the decision to invite Polisario leader Brahim Ghali was made against Japan’s wishes. Tokyo has yet to comment. Tunisia itself needs financial support as it faces a looming crisis in public finances exacerbated by global commodity pressure. Long queues have formed at gas stations this week amid fuel shortages, while stores have started rationing some goods. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo, Elaine Lies and Kentaro Sugiyama in Tokyo and Angus McDowall in Tunis. Edited by Frances Kerry and William Mallard Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
