Africa is being pressured to choose sides in the Ukraine war

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News analysis. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Cameroon this week, he accused the entire continent of being hypocrites.

While Europe has called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a war, Africa has not been so clear, Macron said.

– I have seen too much hypocrisy, especially on the African continent, Macron said.

He thought diplomatic pressure could be a reason for the silence.

The move came during a three-day trip to Africa. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, had a very different message during his four-day trip to Africa this week. He praised Africa for how it has responded to the war in Ukraine.

– We appreciate Africa’s well-considered attitude to the situation in and around Ukraine, Lavrov wrote in an article that was published in Egypt, Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia, the countries he has visited.

– Our friends have not given in to the pressure and joined the anti-Russian sanctions, Lavrov wrote.

Many have not wanted to choose a side

The simultaneous visits from the West and Russia illustrate the difficult reality for African countries. Many have not wanted to choose a side in the war in Ukraine. 25 out of 54 African countries did not want to say yes or no when the UN General Assembly in March voted on a condemnation of Russia’s invasion of the neighboring country.

But whether they like it or not, Africa has been drawn into the conflict. Many countries that have previously struggled with the pandemic are now facing a food crisis.

African countries have received a lot of grain from Ukraine. Now the prices have skyrocketed because Russia has blocked Ukraine’s ports.

High oil prices are also a burden on many families’ finances. Macron spoke about food prices in Cameroon. But he denied that he only visited the region because there is war in Ukraine.

– European Russia sanctions affecting Africa are intended to stop Russia’s attack on Ukraine. It has not been intended to punish Africa, Macron said. – France will help African countries with the shock the war brings. We will encourage local investment in agriculture, so that food production increases.

Losing hearts and minds

Last week, the United States said it would provide $1.3 billion in additional aid to the Horn of Africa. The background is drought in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. But the current help from Europe may not be sufficient: an internal document from the EU’s delegation to the AU states that “the conflict is causing the EU to lose the battle for Africa’s hearts and minds”, according to the website Devex.

African countries have been inundated with counter-information backed by the Kremlin. In the article written by Lavrov, it is stated that the food crisis in Africa is partly due to Western sanctions against Russia. But he also laid the blame on a global economic system that he claims supports the West at the expense of others.

– The West and Ukraine’s propaganda that Russia allegedly “exports hunger” is completely groundless. In fact, this is yet another attempt to place the blame on others, Lavrov wrote. He added that Russia will continue to “export food, fertiliser, energy and other important goods to Africa”.

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Uses conspiracy theory

Russia has tried to ally itself with Ethiopia – which has previously been a staunch ally of the West. Ethiopia has had a strained relationship with the US and Europe due to alleged human rights violations during the war in Tigray.

Russia refers to the conspiracy of the “golden billion”, the elite in the West, to gain international support. Lavrov gave a speech to AU diplomats in the Russian embassy in Ethiopia on Wednesday. He gave them an anti-colonialist explanation for Moscow’s decision to invade Ukraine and the subsequent international protests.

– I am sure that the overwhelming majority of the world’s countries do not want to live as if the colonial era has returned, Lavrov said.

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The legacy of the Cold War?

Although Russia has no past as a colonial power in Africa, Moscow has had a long-standing relationship with many of the countries. The reason is the Soviet Union’s support for the countries during the Cold War.

Some of the countries that did not vote in the UN General Assembly did so because of anti-colonialist movements that had close ties to the Soviet Union, according to an analysis.

Macron’s strongest argument against Russia may be his claim that the country is “one of the last empires with a colonial power”.

The invasion of Ukraine is a “territorial war, of the kind we thought had disappeared from European soil. It is a war from the beginning of the 20th century, even from the 19th century,” the French president said during a speech in Benin on Wednesday.

Bringing soldiers home

France is ending its operation to combat violent jihadism in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. But Macron says they are nevertheless “strongly concerned” with security in Africa.

At the same time, Russian mercenaries, primarily the Wagner group, have gained greater influence in West Africa. In 18 African countries you can now see footprints from the Russian mercenaries, according to the think tank CSIS. The mercenaries have supported the coup plotters who seized power in Mali in 2020, while France is pulling out of the country.

The majority actually voted against Russia

In fact, the majority of African countries condemned Russia’s invasion during the vote in the UN General Assembly.

The three African representatives in the Security Council voted after the invasion that the war had to end. Russia vetoed it.

Kenya’s ambassador, Martin Kimani, compared Russia’s ambitions in Ukraine to the colonial era in Africa.

– This situation is like an echo from our history, said Kimani on 22 February. – Kenya and almost all other African countries were born when the empires disappeared.

Exclusive Norwegian right: Aftenposten

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