Voice of America
22 Jun 2022, 04:05 GMT+10
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Analysts say the African Union (AU) is unlikely to offer Ukraine much support against Russia despite a passionate address Monday by Ukraine's president. Many African nations have historical ties to Russia and have refused to condemn its invasion of Ukraine.
In his speech to the African Union Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of holding Africa hostage by not allowing Ukrainian grain exports to reach the continent unless Western sanctions are lifted.
Zelenskyy, speaking via videolink, also reminded AU leaders about Africa's history of being colonized and said the continent should never support any attempt by one nation to colonize another.
Abdi Rashid, chief Horn of Africa analyst for Sahan Research, a Nairobi-based research group, said that while many Africans have expressed support toward Russia because of the former Soviet Union's backing of liberation movements against colonial powers and apartheid, Russia has changed.
"And I think Africans probably have not come to grips with the reality of modern Russia," he said. "So, we need to modernize our views of Russia and understand that today's Russia is essentially an imperial power, which is weakened and which wants to get back the kind of clout and supremacy it had."
After the address, Moussa Fakit Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, tweeted that the African Union "reiterates its position of the urgent need for dialogue to end the conflict [in Ukraine] to allow peace to return to the region and to restore global stability."
Hassan Khannenje, director of the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the response by the African Union was short of what Zelenskyy expected.
Taking sides with Ukraine, Khannenje argues, would be seen very negatively by China, which has close relations with Moscow. He said Africa's geopolitical calculations and relative power in the international system doesn't allow it to make a decisive turn toward one of the two warring parties.
"Because remember, there's a question of Taiwan, which of course, the West supports Taiwan," he said. "And so, in an event of a conflict, if you're going to side with Ukraine today, it's going to send a message -- that in situations of conflict with Taiwan you're going to take the side of the West - [for] which China might decide to turn off the taps of investment for you, because you're not a reliable partner."
Even though African countries are struggling with high inflation and the effects of drought and lack of Ukrainian imports, China has made it clear it will provide support to the continent only if Africa pushes back against what Beijing calls Western interference in the war, especially the sanctions aimed at the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Get a daily dose of Taiwan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Taiwan Sun.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - Stocks in Asia fell sharply on Wednesday following large falls on Wall Street blamed on ...
NEW DELHI, India: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) deputy governor Michael Patra says India's retail inflation is likely to breach ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Despite weather and staffing issues resulting in travel disruptions, last week the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened ...
NEW YORK, New York - Disappointing economic data put an end to Wall Street's recent rally Tuesday, with all indices ...
LONDON, England: According to a report in the UK's Guardian newspaper, a government advisory agency, the National Health Service Pay ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia rose on Tuesday after China announced it would halve quarantine from 14 days ...
MOSCOW, Russia: The UK newspaper, the Telegraph, has been blocked in Russia, following a request from the Russian prosecutor-general.The TASS ...
LAHORE, Pakistan - An Airbus 320 carrying 171 passengers narrowly avoided an accident at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Pakistan's second-largest ...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to "do all in my power" to protect a woman's ...
YANGON, Myanmar - According to military-run media, a junta delegation discussed nuclear technology collaboration with a Russian state-owned atomic energy ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing more than Tk2.3 crore in emergency funding ...
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian villagers on the Mekong River have caught a stingray fish weighing 661 pounds, which is the ...