I vaguely recall an African country - last year, I think - that refused a huge humanitarian donation of grain because it was GM. So, it's not just the EU who is turning down GM products. Even starving countries in Africa are turning them down.
Nobody wants the GM grains, so maybe they were trying to get rid of their excess by foisting them off on Africans, who also don't want them. People are afraid of GM products at this time, because we really don't know anything about them.
You can't really blame Africa, but it does seem a shame that the grain was GM, instead of normal grain. What kind of a gift is that - a gift of tainted grain?
Yes (it was seed), but why did they turn it down? Because the EU said that if they took it, all grain exports from that country would be embargoed. In essence, the EU blackmailed them into staying with low-yeild grains to protect the EU (read French) farmers from competition. The farmers are able to get away with it by whipping up luddite hysteria over GE foods. See this.