By: Ollus Ndomu
After two weeks of Russia’s special military operation that has killed several hundreds and displaced over two million people, Africa has found itself suspended between two rivals powers: the west and the east.
Individual African governments expressed their views on the Russian invasion through the UN resolution vote with 28 countries voting against the war, while 26 others abstained voting citing their non-alignment stance.
“[Non-alignment] has been the default posture for many African countries over the years where they prefer not to get involved or not to get in between great power rivalries,” said Joseph Siegle, the director of research for the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
In the latest turn of events, Senegalese President and chair of the African Union Macky Sall asked Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday to find a lasting cease-fire in Ukraine.
Sall’s talk with Putin comes just a week after Senegal abstained from a U.N. vote to condemn the Russian invasion.
The AU Chairperson’s call on Russia represents Africa’s collective interests in seeing an end to the war but also in not upsetting Putin.
The continent is seemingly divided on the unprovoked war in Europe with several democractic countries taking an indirect side with the west whereas those considered undemocratic and often suffering from coups, siding with the east.
Russia has a plethora of business investments throughout the African continent. Senegal, for example, signed a $300 million deal with Russian oil company Lukoil just last year. The company also has operations in Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria. Russian mining companies are also active throughout Africa, from extracting diamonds in Angola to aluminum in Guinea and uranium in Namibia, VOA.
In his carefully written Facebook statement shortly after speaking with the Kremlin, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa said:
“Thanking His Excellency President Vladimir Putin for taking my call today, so I could gain an understanding of the situation that was unfolding between Russia and Ukraine.”
“I outlined our position on the conflict that has unfolded as well as our belief that the conflict should be resolved through mediation and negotiation between the parties and – if need be – with the help of agencies that can help bring a solution to the conflict,” said the South African President.
Africa has for years avoided raising a strong voice on serious international affairs for fear of falling out of favor of such great rival powers.
With Russia being among the top gas, wheat and munition exporting countries to Africa while the west fund most countries’ health systems and education, the continent cannot clearly take a side in this ongoing crisis.
“Russia is a country that exports a lot of products, notably gas and raw materials like wheat,” said Abdou Rahmane Thiam, head of the political science department at Dakar’s University of Cheikh Anta Diop. “That can have an economic impact especially with regards to trade.”
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