Sierra Leone’s president expressed hope that a new African mediation mission would help end Russia’s war in Ukraine which has hit hard among the “poorest of the poor” around the world.

Julius Maada Bio told AFP the war had wreaked havoc in his country and other places. “We are all suffering as a result of the war in Ukraine… For the sake of humanity, for what is happening, let’s end the war,” he said on Wednesday.

The leaders of Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia will next month visit Moscow and Kyiv to try and broker peace.

Africa, the world’s poorest continent, has been hit hard by higher prices of food and basic goods as a result of the war’s impact on supply chains. Last August, riots erupted in Sierra Leone over the rising cost of living, killing 27 civilians and six police officers.

“We have a vested interest in seeing to it that war comes to an end as quickly as possible… especially as a country that has gone through war before — but also (because of) the impact on us,” Bio said.

Source: France 24