NAIROBI, Kenya, April 12 (IPS) – While the West has closed its ranks in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the response in Africa has been largely heterogeneous.
After Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, different constituencies in the international community reacted with a mixture of shock, anger and trepidation as they pondered the implications. of aggression on international security.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), long considered marginalized in global politics, is no exception, with Kenya notably having strongly condemned Russia’s aggressive actions at the Security Council. United Nations (UNSC).
Since then, Senegalese president Macky Sall, current president of the African Union (AU), and Moussa Faki, chair of the African Union Commission (AUC) have both similarly condemned the Russian invasion, calling called the country ‘respect for international law. , the territorial integrity and national independence of Ukraine’.
Despite statements from Kenya and the AU, Africa’s response has been largely heterogeneous, with most of the continent’s countries choosing to remain silent – possibly for fear of exacerbating Russia. Only 28 African countries supported a United Nations General Assembly resolution on March 2 condemning the invasion, with 17 abstaining and one opposing the resolution.
The divisions in the SSA region became even more acute when it is thought that, even as Kenya voiced strong opposition to the invasion, its neighbor Uganda abstained, apparently to celebrate their ‘non-aligned’ stance on global issues.
At the same time, the son of the Ugandan president and the country’s military commander, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, posted on Twitter comments expressing strong support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Globalization of racism
More broadly, traditional roles in international politics have been reversed at least temporarily. Africa, long seen as a synonym for pointless armed conflict and accustomed to demeaning rhetoric and conflict resolution projects, finds itself playing the role of ‘peacemaker’. average’ versus the ‘superior’ of civilization – Europe.
Western journalists and scholars – have long been immersed in analytical narratives explaining conflict on the basis of ethnicity and other primitive identity factors related to ‘retrocultural’ such as the SSA and the Arab world – struggling to explain the carnage, destruction and displacement in Ukraine.
The current situation should serve as a grim reminder that conflict is fundamentally fueled by greed, opportunism and other materialistic pursuits – not identity, culture. or brutal elements.
While the SSA has had its fair share of fervent, unfaithful leaders who want to harness military power to pursue personal irrationalization, a few dismiss the excesses. as blatantly international as Vladimir Putin.
At the same time, reports of African students attempting to flee Ukraine and being barred from entering neighboring countries because of their skin color are a stark reminder that centuries after the end of slavery, As a rule, apartheid remains a conspicuous practice in much of Europe and the western world.
However, the AU statement on 28 February only condemned racism against Africans, although racism against Arabs and whites has also been reported. This reflects the provincial geographic prism through which many on the continent view the Russo-Ukrainian conflict – and points to a lasting Balkanis based on racial identity in an era believed to be globally linked. become larger.
Sub-Saharan Relations with Russia
Africa is a huge continent consisting of 54 countries.
Therefore, any attempt to generalize their experience is not immune to analytical inaccuracies. For many countries on the continent, however, Russia’s geopolitical footprint is minuscule compared to the other five permanent members of the UNSC.
Even as the United States and China loom large in the contemporary imagination, former colonial powers such as Britain and France continue to exploit the historical, linguistic, and cultural ties that underlie some influence (admittedly waning). Russia is only left to scrape the barrel.
With many of the defunct Soviet-supported regimes being replaced over the years, Russia’s well-known claim of Cold War nostalgia has faded and the country must develop a framework and perspective. new system based on security cooperation, trade and investment relations, and political solidarity (especially at UNSC).
Furthermore, while some African countries are major importers of Russian agricultural products such as wheat, the SSA’s trade relationship with Russia is largely based on exports from the former countries, making the region less dependent on such trading relationships than countries in Europe. In short, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global response pose a far greater threat to Europe, both economically and geopolitically, than it does for the SSA.
What conflict means for Africa
Against this backdrop, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has at least three implications for the country’s future relations with Africa. First, it lends credence to the view that contemporary conflicts, whether between states or between states, are largely motivated by material factors, sometimes masked by the government itself. identity value.
Second, conflict reinforces the long-held view in Africa that regional crises are best resolved by regional actors in the immediate vicinity of the conflict.
The strong reaction of NATO and the EU in favor of Ukraine – although Ukraine is not a member of both organizations – echoes a position long pushed by SSA leaders, especially before the military campaign led by NATO to overthrow former Libyan leader Gaddafi. , that regional crises are best handled by actors in the vicinity. In other words: European solutions to European problems!
As a result, the AU and sub-regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) will face less of a challenge as they resolutely take the lead in tackling the problem. resolve conflicts in their region. , while learning important lessons from the swift action of NATO allies to protect ‘their’.
Ultimately, the Russo-Ukrainian conflict is a reminder that even in a supposedly multilateral world, international responses to political and economic challenges are shaped by geo-war calculations. strategy rather than philanthropic ideals.
The media, political and diplomatic attention given to Ukraine during the invasion far exceeds that of similar conflicts in the SSA and other parts of the world – and it is proof that this is real. is a world of every continent or sub-region.
Martha Kiiza Bakwesegha-Osula is a Global Policy and Peacebuilding Advisor at the Institute for Life and Peace in Nairobi, Kenya.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal and belong only to the author and do not belong to persons, agencies and organizations to which the author may be affiliated personally or professionally. Karma. Any views or opinions are not intended to be malicious against any religion, ethnic group, organization or individual.
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