African countries’ response to the Ukraine crisis.
In the context of the global confrontation between Russia and the West, the struggle to attract the political support of African countries has intensified. For several years, Western think tanks have been describing the development of African-American relations in the fields of economy, culture and health care as a serious threat to the West. Therefore, in these circumstances, it is quite natural that conducting a special military operation in Ukraine would only intensify the desire of Western countries and their politicians to reform the political allegiance of sub-Saharan Africa.
In this regard, in March 2022, the European Parliament proposed the idea of a new type of investment in the continent; An investment that moves against the economic cycles of China and Russia. The US Senate has also considered a bipartisan bill (agreed upon by both parties) that calls on the executive branch to hold a second meeting between the United States and African countries. There is no doubt about the importance of the African continent for a new and fairer world order. Therefore, it is necessary to have an outline of the positions of African countries in relation to the Ukraine crisis and possible ways to change their approaches to this issue.
Three approaches available
The two resolutions ES-11/1 on “Invasion of Ukraine” on March 2, 2022 and ES-11/3 on “Suspension of the Russian Federation’s membership in the Human Rights Council” on April 7, 2022 can be used as the most up-to-date criteria for assessing the political approach. African countries in the face of the Ukraine crisis.
In general, sub-Saharan African countries can be divided into three groups based on their views on the Ukraine crisis. The first group is the “Western loyalists,” that is, governments that directly or indirectly reproduce the position of Washington and Brussels. Ivory Coast can be called one of the prominent members of this group. Foreign Minister Candia Kamara has made it clear that her country’s position will be in line with that of the European Union on all international resolutions on Ukraine.
The second category is “consonants”. These are countries that have not actively talked about the situation in Ukraine or have mainly called on the parties to calm down. An extremely neutral statement by the Madagascar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which urges all countries to “not make hasty decisions” and to think about the “possible consequences of the conflict for the global economy,” is an example of such a stance.
Finally, we conditionally call the third group “Russian supporters.” These include countries that did not join the anti-Russian rhetoric and abstained or opposed both resolutions in the UN General Assembly, such as Sudan or Eritrea. These countries often call on Russia and Ukraine for dialogue, strongly condemn foreign interference (including by Western countries) in their internal affairs, and do not reproduce the West’s position.
Loyalists of the West
Loyalty to the West and harsh assessments of the Ukraine crisis are mainly made by West African countries. The Gabonese envoy to the UN Security Council called the international arena a forest in which there are only two roles of prey and prey, and called for a change in the situation. The reason “he described. A similar one-way line has been established at the level of the member states of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). Earlier, on February 27, the West African Economic Community condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine and called for peace in the region.
