The attitude of Africans towards the war in Ukraine is divided, writes foreign journalist Pasi Toivonen, who will start in April as ‘s African correspondent in Nairobi.
Young Kenyans interviewed by see two sides in the crisis in Ukraine: war is a nasty thing and Russia should stop attacking it.
But many also understand Russia’s security concerns. They see the war precisely as a conflict between the United States and Russia.
A 30-year-old customs officer from Nairobi Edwin Kariri recalls that Russia has been concerned about the spread of NATO for years.
– Their safety is threatened, Putin is now trying to tell the West, Kariri says.
28-year-old entrepreneur Daina Njoki for its part, the Russian president is not treating Ukraine fairly.
– Ukraine is an independent country, Russia should not try to manipulate or control it.
The same dichotomy was also evident at the UN in early March. Exactly half of Africa’s 54 states voted in favor of a resolution condemning the Russian attack. Half either abstained, were out of the Chamber or voted against it (Eritrea).
No colonial burden
Russia does not have the financial resources to invest in Africa on the same scale as, for example, China, the EU or oil-rich Arab countries. But it is a loyal political and military supporter of many rulers.
Russia wants to increase its influence in Africa, and preferably so that it can at the same time destabilize the position of the West on the continent.
Russia’s position is strengthened by the fact that it has never itself had colonies in Africa. That’s why it still likes to use Cold War rhetoric.
According to the outcome document of the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit, the basis for Russian-African cooperation remains “a tradition of common struggle for the abolition of colonial rule and the independence of African countries.” This final act was signed by all 54 African countries in Sochi.
The food crisis is accelerating the information war
Russia is also waging an information war in Africa, using the merits of decades ago to support the independence struggles of African countries.
The struggle for African support will intensify in the coming weeks and months, as the effects of the Ukrainian war spread to African countries as well: bread runs out, fuel prices rise, more and more people are threatened with hunger.
WFP Executive Director of the World Food Program According to David Beasley (moving to another service) there may be another food catastrophe ahead: the number of people living on the brink of famine has risen from 27 million to 44 million even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to Beasley, the price paid by WFP for food aid has also increased by 30%. Each new price increase means less food for the most vulnerable.
If and when a food crisis breaks out, you want to know the culprit.
“When the bread runs out of the African plate, it is safe to assume that Russia is trying to brand the West and the economic sanctions imposed on Russia in Africa,” says the director of the Foreign Ministry’s Africa and Middle East Department. Sofie From-Emmesberger.
So there is also a war of narratives, stories going on.
The EU is ready to fight the stories
Many Africans have smartphones and use social media platforms. They are opening a new front in the information war, fighting for the souls and sympathies of Africans.
On this front, Russia uses the same means of disinformation as the rest of the world.
According to Sofie From-Emmesberger, the European Union is prepared for this and is influencing and communicating on many fronts.
– Our task is to make it clear that the cause of the crisis is Russia’s military action and everything related to it, human suffering and the destruction of infrastructure. Grain ships will not be able to move from Ukrainian ports, and that is a consequence of Russian aggression.
As a warning example of hybrid influence, From-Emmesberger cites the Central African Republic.
At the same time as Russia’s influence in the country grew, EU representatives were subjected to a strong information campaign, which made the job very difficult and changed the attitudes of many Central Africans towards the EU.
What does the war look like in the eyes of Africans?
In the war of stories, every act and message is noticed.
When Ukrainian border guards transfer African students to the tail of the queue at the border with Poland, it is noticed in Nigeria, Ghana and other countries whose young people were studying in Ukraine.
As Europe’s borders, doors and hearts open to Ukrainian refugees, many will compare it to the harsh treatment that people fleeing Africa across the Mediterranean receive on Europe’s shores.
It is also good to remember that the war in Ukraine in all its horrors is not the only catastrophe in the world at the moment. Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are currently experiencing their worst drought in years, with famine threatening there According to WFP estimates (you will switch to another service) 13 million people.
For many of us, wars, floods, famines, or droughts on the African continent have remained distant for decades. A similar distance from Africa is now the suffering of the Ukrainians.
This is ‘s daily analysis of the current theme of the Russian invasion. You will be able to discuss the subject until 11 pm on Friday 25 March.
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