- Judging by the UN vote, Africa was less interested in supporting the condemnation of Russia.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a hard time getting the attention of African leaders.
- The Ukraine war put a lot of pressure on the US to reassert a rules-based international order.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year pushed Africa into the center of a divided world where the continent had to choose carefully which side it was on.
This scenario played out at the emergency session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on March 2, when the world body voted to condemn Russia’s war.
Although it was an overwhelming vote, African countries were divided.
Twenty-eight of 54 African countries (just over 51%) voted in favor of the resolution.
Comparatively, around 81% of non-African member states voted in favour, meaning that Africa as a continent was less willing to support condemnation of Russia.
Thirty-five countries chose to abstain from the vote and, again, Africa had the global share of those who chose to “sit on the fence”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky sought support from Africa and on numerous occasions wanted to address the African Union (AU).
He got his wish in June and had a virtual address. However, of the 55 heads of state invited, only four attended the session.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, within a hundred days of the invasion of Ukraine, managed to meet with his African counterparts and spoke to some, such as President Cyril Ramaphosa, on the phone.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, the current AU Chairman, and AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat visited Putin at the Russian resort of Sochi.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Sall said he “found Vladimir Putin committed and aware that the crisis and sanctions create serious problems for weak economies, such as African economies.”
The negative impact of the war in Africa
Africa’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic was hampered by the war as it raised food and fuel costs, disrupted trade in goods and services, constrained green transitions, and reduced the flow of development finance in the continent.
A 2014 UN report estimated that Africa received $133.7 billion each year in official aid, grants, and loans from the international community.
But the war in Ukraine had a negative impact on this, as international donors switched to Ukraine.
Hardest hit were areas like the Sahel region, where climate change and conflicts were the main drivers of famine and famine that, by extension, affect political stability. Following the worst drought in 40 years, vulnerable people in East Africa were at risk of starvation and death.
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Some 18.4 million people died of hunger last year, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The World Food Program (WFP) and its partners called on the world not to forget Africa in the midst of the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, WFP noted that its budget had been stretched due to rising food prices.
Since most of the wheat and fertilizer used in Africa came from both Ukraine and Russia, food security became a central part of the war’s negative impact on the continent.
The United States rallied African nations to condemn the war because it affected their ability to secure food.
At one point, the African Development Bank said that in some parts of Africa, wheat prices had skyrocketed by 45%.
The crisis exposed the extent to which Africa was dependent on Eurasia. Zelensky, seeing how the war was affecting Africa’s food security, promised that Ukraine in the coming years would invest in Africa’s agriculture through technological assistance.
At the same time, Russia said it was not to blame for Africa’s food situation, but was probably the answer.
Therefore, he agreed to open the Black Sea for imports from Russia and Ukraine to Africa.
But while that was the case, most of the ships that left the Ukraine were destined for Europe, not Africa.
For Africa, the hard lesson was that the continent needed to build its capacity.
African Development Bank Group Chairman Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said:
Food aid cannot feed Africa. Africa does not need bowls in hand. Africa needs seeds in the ground and mechanical harvesters to harvest abundant locally produced food. Africa will proudly feed itself because there is no dignity in begging for food.
Crossfire
The United States revamped its Africa strategy, which primarily sought to make the continent an equal partner in global affairs because the war in Ukraine was challenging the rules-based international order.
Furthermore, its biggest rival in Africa, China, was making advances that undermine the principles of democracy and human rights. Hard-pressed to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Africa has openly condemned some of the US attempts. Particularly by the largest economy in southern Africa, South Africa.
International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor accused the US of patronizing and bullying Africa into sticking with the Ukraine issue. She accused the United States of bias, particularly in Palestine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in South Africa in August before going to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and Ethiopia, but it was in South Africa that he was told “we have not seen an impartial approach “. about the war in Ukraine and the situation in Palestine.
The United States drew up the Law on Combating Malicious Russian Activities in Africa. The law, if passed, would punish all African countries that trade with Russia in what the United States believes could help finance the invasion.
Africa has been clear about this proposed law, the continent sees it as a vehicle to punish African countries that have not followed the Ukraine line.
The United States scored a diplomatic victory when it hosted the US-Africa Leaders Summit, where President Joe Biden acknowledged that Africa had the right to demand a greater role in world affairs.
His proposal that African countries receive permanent representation in the G20 hit the nail on the head.
The Russia-Africa Summit did not take place this year, but there were commitments that it would be held in Africa next year.
But for its part, Russia hosted the Vostok 2022 (East 2022) war games, which were attended by some African countries, including the Central African Republic (CAR), Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mali, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan.
At the games, Russia promised to supply weapons to “like-minded allies, partners, counterparts.”
News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained in this document do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
