A ship made the first shipment of wheat in Ukraine, nto Friday for food aid in Ethiopia - the first delivery of food to Africa under the UN-mediated plan to unblock grain held in that country.

For months, fighting and a Russian blockade have caused grain produced in Ukraine, known as the breadbasket of the world, to be held up in silos, driving up food prices and leading to famine in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.

In recent days, several grain-laden ships have left Ukrainian ports under the new agreement - only most of the shipments were of animal feed and were bound for Turkey or Western Europe.

However, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced that the first shipment of World Food Programme (WFP) humanitarian aid to Africa would take place during the day and that after loading the ship would depart. By afternoon, the MarineTraffic website showed the ship sailing toward southern Ukraine.

Charles Michel said that the ship loaded with grain would go to Ethiopia, stressing that "the cooperation of all actors involved is crucial" to alleviate food shortages and hunger around the world. This shipment represents, according to Michel, only a small portion of the approximately 20 million tons of grain held in Ukraine.

The ship is expected to dock in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia, along with neighboring Somalia and Kenya, is facing the most severe drought recorded in 40 years in the Horn of Africa region. Thousands of people across the region are dying of starvation or disease this year.

Forecasts for the coming weeks indicate that, for the first time, a fifth consecutive rainy season will not happen. Millions of animals, the basis of wealth and food security for many families, have died.

"Millions of families will struggle to cope with these shocks" in Ethiopia, according to a new assessment by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network. "Food aid needs are at record levels, with up to 15 million people needing assistance," it said.

While a shipment will have no major effect on the crisis, the WFP sees it as an "important step" in getting Ukrainian grain to the most affected nations.

The news of this shipment, which brought a rare glimmer of hope, was blunted by the relentless fighting in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, where much of the fighting is concentrated, as the war between Russia and Ukraine draws to a close on six months.

The city of Kramatorsk was hit by 11 rockets overnight. Seven people were killed and 14 others were injured in and around the city, which remains without gas, piped water, and electricity.