Africa-Press – Eritrea. <\/strong><\/span>Far from the frontlines of Ukraine, another war of sorts is raging between Moscow and Kyiv, one being fought with words instead of weapons. The stage is thousands of miles away in Africa, a continent no stranger to conflict.<\/p>\nThis, however, is a war of diplomacy, where Russia and Ukraine have the same objective: getting African nations in their corner. The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers were both on a tour of the continent when this week kicked off.<\/p>\n
Sergey Lavrov was on a surprise visit to Kenya, East Africa\u2019s largest economy, ahead of the two-day BRICS summit of foreign ministers that begins in South Africa on Thursday.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Dmytro Kuleba was in Nigeria\u2019s capital Abuja, winding up his own Africa trip, which included stops in Mozambique, Rwanda, and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
This is Lavrov\u2019s fourth visit to Africa since the Ukraine war began in February last year, while Kuleba was making his second trip out to the continent.<\/p>\n
The Ukraine conflict has seen somewhat clear battle lines being drawn around the world. Western nations, predominantly the US and its allies, are firmly with Kyiv, lending all sorts of material, monetary, and moral support.<\/p>\n
Russia, on the other hand, has few all-out supporters. What it does have, however, is a lot of nations that have taken a neutral stance on the Ukraine war \u2013 nowhere more than in Africa. Searching for allies
\nPolitical analysts in Africa are under no illusions about the reasons for Moscow and Kyiv\u2019s growing outreach on the continent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese visits are more about getting Africa\u2019s diplomatic support, especially for future voting at the UN,\u201d Dirk Kotze, a political science professor at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, told Anadolu.<\/p>\n
Many African countries abstained when the UN General Assembly held a vote last year to condemn Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine, saying that their neutral position was in line with their non-aligned foreign policies, he explained.<\/p>\n
The data backs Kotze\u2019s remarks: 30 African countries voted in favor of a general assembly resolution this February, just two more than last year, while nearly half of the 32 abstentions were also African nations.<\/p>\n
Changing these figures is a priority for Ukraine. Kuleba, its top diplomat, acknowledged as much during his recent tour, asserting that African nations must recognize that \u201cneutrality is not the answer.<\/p>\n
He also made it a point to convey that Ukraine wants to support and uplift Africa.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Ethiopia on the 60th anniversary of the African Union, Kuleba said his visit was an indicator of Kyiv\u2019s \u201ctrue commitment to a new era of relations\u201d between Ukraine and Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have come to talk as equals and work as partners,\u201d he said, stressing that, as one of the founding countries of the UN, Ukraine has consistently defended and promoted the interests of African nations.<\/p>\n
As part of its diplomatic push, he announced in Mozambique that Ukraine will soon establish an embassy in the capital Maputo, a major step on what was the \u201cfirst visit in the history of bilateral relations\u201d between the two countries.<\/p>\n
A statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said opening the embassy is a decision in line with the \u201crenaissance of Ukrainian-African relations. \u201d
\nLegacy of colonialism
\nFor Mametlwe Sebei, it is all but obvious that Russia and Ukraine are both jostling for Africa\u2019s support at the UN.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they are also aiming for more,\u201d Sebei, head of the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa, told Anadolu.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey see Africa not just as a consumer market, but also as a source of raw materials for the upcoming green energy industries.<\/p>\n
On the support for Russia on the continent, he said many African nations hold a sympathetic view of Moscow \u201cbecause of its anti-colonial legacy from the days of the Soviet Union,\u201d despite the fact that \u201cthe Russia today is a capitalist state.<\/p>\n
He said Western powers are using Ukraine as a front in attempts to dent China\u2019s growing influence in Africa.<\/p>\n
That was a point that Kuleba seemed to directly address during his speech in Ethiopia, when he emphasized that \u201csupporting Ukraine is not about being pro-Western or anti-Western.<\/p>\n
He also spoke about Ukraine\u2019s \u201cfirst African strategy,\u201d specifically how it has \u201cintensified political dialogue with many countries on the continent\u201d and even plans \u201cto hold the first Ukraine-Africa Summit.<\/p>\n
Kotze, the professor in Pretoria, pointed out that Ukraine has much ground to cover in Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will take time for Ukraine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia has been involved with African nations for much longer, selling weapons to some and even helped some countries during their struggles against colonialism.\u201d<\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Eritrea<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JOHANNESBURG Africa-Press – Eritrea. Far from the frontlines of Ukraine, another war of sorts is raging between Moscow and Kyiv, one being fought with words instead of weapons. The stage is thousands of miles away in Africa, a continent no stranger to conflict. This, however, is a war of diplomacy, where Russia and Ukraine have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":17622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[242,243,233],"class_list":["post-17623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-eritrea","tag-eritrea"],"yoast_head":"\n
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