African Nations Join Global March Against GMO Giant Monsanto

Thousands will protest against agri-business giant Monsanto and the health hazards its products pose to consumers and local farmers alike in West and South Africa.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Thousands gathered in West and South Africa on Saturday to protest the agri-business giant Monsanto and the health hazards its products pose to consumers and local farmers alike, activist groups reported.

May 23 marks the global March Against Monsanto day, which aims to raise awareness about health threats posed by the $20-billion corporation's genetically modified seeds and chemical herbicides.

In the West African nation of Ghana, anti-Monsanto rallies are led by several national trade unions and farmer groups, including the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana and the General Agricultural Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress.

Some gathered outside Monsanto's office in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, the grassroots Food Sovereignty Ghana advocacy group said on its social media account.

The protest are also underway in South Africa's Durban, groundWork non-profit organization said on its Twitter account. Demonstrators sought to kick Monsanto out of the country and ban genetically modified organisms altogether, according to the watchdog.

"'M' is for mass murder," read one of the placards at the march in Cape Town, another South African city, according a photo posted on Twitter by a participant of the rally.

The worldwide protests' coordinator, the March Against Monsanto (MAM) group, claimed on its website that 428 cities in 38 countries will hold peaceful demonstrations on Saturday.

The MAM movement seeks to shed light on the dangers surrounding Monsanto's genetically modified seeds and herbicides linked to cancer, particularly Roundup.

Founded in 1901 as a food additive company, Monsanto now employs 22,000 people across 61 countries and is the world's leading producer of genetically engineered seeds and chemical herbicides.