Africans continue to endure consequences of Russian war after mediation fails

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania -- An African mission to broker peace in Ukraine did not yield any tangible results or concessions that would mitigate the impact of Russia's war on Ukraine on the African continent, analysts and observers said.

They attributed the failure of the mid-June talks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and Russian city of St. Petersburg to Russian President Vladimir Putin's continued intransigence towards all proposals aimed at ending the conflict.

The high-profile delegation -- which included the presidents of South Africa, Senegal, Comoros and Zambia, as well as top officials from Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville -- met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 16.

They flew to Russia to speak with Putin on June 17.

African countries continue to suffer greatly from the high prices of cereal and fertilisers, as they import the bulk of these items from Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow is attempting to deflect blame for the bread crisis by convincing African nations that Western sanctions on Russia are the obstacle to the export of cereals and fertilisers.

And it is attempting to bring African leaders into its corner by presenting itself as a bulwark against what it describes as Western imperialism.

"It is clear that the Russian president does not care about the suffering of African countries caused by the surge in wheat prices as a result of this unjust war," Nigerien journalist Moussa Mega told Al-Mashareq.

Putin "is keen to benefit from Africa's resources, including uranium and gold, as well as a portion of the money earned by the Wagner Group in some African countries in exchange for alleged security services", he said.

Mega said African countries dealing with Moscow are largely responsible for the consequences suffered by their people as a result of the Ukraine war.

"As long as some African leaders refuse to condemn Putin's war on Ukraine under the pretext of maintaining neutrality, and as long as they rely on his protection through the Wagner Group and allow the group to exploit uranium and gold mines, their people will continue to suffer," he said.

Meanwhile, the recent standoff between the Wagner Group and the Russian state has raised concerns in African countries that have partnerships with the mercenary group about the future of these relationships.

'Embarrassing for African leaders'

African countries are being negatively impacted by the war, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who headed the delegation of African mediators, said in the June 18 meeting with Putin.

"It is in our common interest that this war end," he added.

Ramaphosa presented Putin with a 10-point proposal to end the Ukraine war and commence reconstruction, AFP reported.

It called for "reducing escalation by both sides"; recognising the countries' sovereignty; providing "security guarantees" to all parties, removing obstacles to the export of cereals via the Black Sea; and the "release of prisoners of war".

The African delegation said constructive talks were held, but analysts said the mediation attempt ultimately failed as it did not yield tangible results.

After the meetings, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "the African plan is very difficult to implement".

Senegalese researcher and analyst Bakary Jan said the failure of the African mediation was expected and that "it is absurd to expect Putin to stop his war on Ukraine based on an African mediation".

Jan said he does not intend to discount the efforts of countries that led the mediation, but is basing his analysis on an objective reading of events and contexts.

As for the influence exerted by African countries, he said, "it could be examined from a more diplomatic angle to gauge whether Putin still cares about Russia's image in the world".

"The failure of the African mediation is very embarrassing for African leaders, as they are no longer able to justify Putin's actions before the international community," he said.

"This will certainly leave Putin facing deep international isolation."