While some foreign ministries have publicly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, others have wanted to maintain a certain distance, while urging the belligerents to negotiate. Diplomatic pressure, from both the European Union and Russia, has increased since day one for them to express their views on the war.
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In a much noticed speech, it was Kenya at the UN, the first to condemn Russia’s use of force and contempt for diplomacy. Following him, Ghana, also a member of the Council, expressed its support for ” territorial integrity of Ukraine “, like Gabon, the third African member, which also voted for the resolution condemning “ aggression Russian and called for an immediate ceasefire.
After which ECOWAS, as well as Senegalese President Macky Sall and that of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, also ” sentenced (…) the military invasion ” and ” urged “both parties to” a ceasefire » and to « negotiations without delay “, as well as Niger, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa, yet an ally of Russia within the Brics, or Nigeria.
14 abstentions from African countries, about twenty votes for
14 abstentions out of 35 come from African countries, with among others Congo-Brazzaville, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Algeria, Ethiopia or South Africa which abstained. This confirms the embarrassment of part of the continent vis-à-vis this conflict. Some are longtime allies of Moscow, like Algiers, others are getting closer to the Russians, like Mali, in full transition.
The South Africans, for example, recalled their deep concern, the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. But Pretoria also felt that the resolution did not create a constructive environment for negotiations. The country would have liked a text more focused on rapprochement, on “building bridges” between Russia and Ukraine. “The parties must commit to finding a compromise, to building trust. But this text does not allow that,” explained the South African representative.
Be careful however, more than twenty countries of the continent have nevertheless approved this text, such as Benin, the DRC or Rwanda. Kigali recalled that the sovereignty, the independence of any country must be respected. “The military escalation must stop immediately,” the country demanded. In a measured statement, his representative repeatedly called for dialogue, for a ceasefire, recalling that only negotiation would allow a way out of the crisis. Only one African country voted against this resolution, unsurprisingly, it is Eritrea.