As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalates, Moscow’s growing influence in Africa has led to divergent responses among the continent’s leaders.
Heads of state from around the world, including many from Africa, have lambasted the Russian attack over the last week, with the U.S., EU and U.K. imposing punitive economic sanctions.
However, political analysts told CNBC that while a united African voice in opposition to Russia would be a powerful one, a number of countries will be reluctant to publicly detach themselves from Moscow given their strategic military ties.
Over the past few years, Russia has built a number of military alliances with governments in African countries facing violent insurgencies or political instability, including Libya, Mali, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Mozambique.
The significance of these ties could now play a major role in how these countries respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
For instance, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy leader of Sudan’s military junta, led a delegation to Moscow last Wednesday, while in the CAR capital of Bangui, a statue has been erected of Russian paramilitary personnel credited with quashing an armed rebellion in late 2020.
A draft United Nations resolution on Wednesday condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine and called on the Kremlin to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.”
The resolution passed overwhelmingly with 141 nations voting in favor, but a host of African nations were among the 34 that abstained from the vote: South Africa, Mali, Mozambique, the Central African Republic, Angola, Algeria, Burundi, Madagascar, Namibia, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Eritrea, meanwhile, was one of only five countries to actively vote against the resolution, alongside Russia, Belarus, Syria and North Korea.
Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/03/ukraine-african-leaders-condemn-russia-invasion-but-some-remain-silent.html