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Less than a week after the launch of a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, Africa’s troubled relationship with Russia has been brought into sharp focus. The AU has called for a cease-fire and for Ukraine and Russia to open negotiations, but most of its member states have so far remained quiet.
Legalbrief notes that SA, which became the ‘S’ in the Bric grouping in 2010 – joining Brazil, Russia, India and China as one of the world’s leading emerging economies – appears to have been caught off-guard, particularly since Ghana and Kenya have been swift in their condemnation of the biggest global crisis since the Kuwait invasion three decades ago.
The ANC’s international relations subcommittee is today expected to throw the book at Department of International Relations & Co-operation (Dirco) Minister Naledi Pandor after she raised the ire of President Cyril Ramaphosa for a statement calling for Russia to immediately withdraw from Ukraine.
A report on the News24 site notes that insiders said Ramaphosa had doubled down on his position that SA called for mediation and insisted his government would not take sides in the matter. He was supported by the ANC publicly, which stated it was not the party’s position to call on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele yesterday said the government’s stance was that ‘we will always prefer peaceful solutions’ and ‘we are not prepared to say anything beyond that’.
In a strongly worded statement last week, the department expressed its dismay at the escalating conflict and called on Russia ‘to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine in line with the UN Charter, which enjoins all member states to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice are not endangered’. When further pressed on whether it was the official position that Russia should withdraw, Gungubele said ‘the President said he prefers a mediated situation in Russia’, a News24 report states. Full report on the News24 site
Ramaphosa on Friday urged the UN to resolve the feud. ‘It behoves on countries of the world, particularly the UN Security Council; they are the ones who should be getting more and more engaged in a mediation process. And one does not see that happening,’ he said. Business Day reports that he insisted resolution efforts ‘should happen to bring these hostilities to an end,’ but made no mention of sanctions against Russia.
Leaders of the foundation established by the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu urged SA to join Ghana and Kenya in condemning the war. ‘This is no time to sit on the fence. The act of war and violence needs to be condemned in the strongest possible terms,’ wrote CEO Piyushi Kotecha and chair Niclas Kjellström-Matseke. They pressed the AU and the Brics bloc to consider extremely harsh sanctions. Full Business Day report
In a Sunday Times analysis, Barney Mthombothi notes that it was left to Ghana and Kenya to fly the African flag, condemning Russia’s action. And while SA often brags that it punched above its weight in international affairs, it doesn’t want to ‘dirty our hands’.
‘ The failure to condemn the invasion has a lot to do with our fear of offending Putin. He’s a friend, after all. Deputy President David Mabuza often goes to Russia for treatment for an unspecified illness. Former President Jacob Zuma secretly signed a ruinous nuclear energy deal, which thankfully has now been scuppered. There’s therefore a determination not to be in Putin’s bad books. Cowardice is, after all, a hallmark of this government. What we stand for at home is not always what we preach abroad. Human rights and the rule of law are enshrined in our Constitution; they define who we are, our personality, and yet we hobnob with brutal dictators – Robert Mugabe, Muammar Gaddafi, Fidel Castro. If foreign policy is an extension of a country’s domestic policy, ours has a schizophrenic personality.’ Full Sunday Times analysis (subscription needed)
In another Sunday Times analysis, Tony Leon, SA’s former ambassador to Argentina, notes that Financial Times chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman enthused that under its new President, SA could again become ‘the standard bearer for Africa in the world’. However, after last week’s performance it is clear that the baton has now passed to Kenya. ‘In a widely praised speech at the UN Security Council, its ambassador, Martin Kimani, had no problem in affirming the territorial integrity of Ukraine and condemning Russia’s breaches of international law. Here is a clear, concise, coherent and legally correct exposition of the case. By contrast, and to our deep discredit, SA contorted itself with out-of-date cliches, until by Thursday afternoon it semi-reversed course and, belatedly, called for a Russian withdrawal.’ Full Sunday Times analysis (subscription needed)
The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) today wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to request that she schedule a debate of urgent national public importance on the unfolding crisis. ‘This Russian aggression is a violation of international law and should be strongly condemned by freedom-loving people across the globe,’ said DA leader John Steenhuisen. He said many national leaders have added their voices to the growing chorus of outrage and condemnation, but Ramaphosa has been ominously silent on the issue.
‘ As a signatory to the UN Charter, we have a duty “to maintain international peace and security (through) the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace”‘. He added that the National Assembly, in terms of section 92(2) of the Constitution, has a duty to hold the President and Cabinet accountable for this failure of leadership. DA statement on the Politicsweb site
Dr Noluthando Phungula, an international relations lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the war could have dire effects for Africa. ‘The continent is almost always affected by external influences. This is mainly attributed to globalisation but also the continent’s dependency on world markets. ‘
The Sunday Tribune reports that she said the ongoing war would disrupt supply chains and ultimately raise the cost of imports. ‘Russia and Ukraine both provide wheat to numerous African countries and the instability in both countries could threaten food security in Africa, a continent where wheat and maize are staple foods,’ she said. She said the Brics countries had not openly condemned Russia and ‘this spoke to grouping politics at play’. Full Sunday Tribune report (subscription needed)
In other developments, Nigerian students in Ukraine are coming to terms with the effects of the invasion. ‘It is scary, very scary. I’m very worried. People are running for their lives. We are hiding in groups so we can keep an eye on each other,’ medical student Lolade Lawal told Al Jazeera over the phone as she sheltered with other students at a safe bunker in the northeastern city of Sumy.
A report on the News24 site notes that there are no official figures on the number of African students studying in Ukraine but Lawal said ‘there are hundreds of us in our city’. Some students have managed to cross the border into Poland. Full report on the News24 site
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