From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: 16 African countries abstain from UN vote against RussiaSenegal and South Africa were among 16 African countries that abstained from a U.N. vote to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These abstentions have caused diplomatic tensions between Africa, Europe and the U.S., which Olaf Scholz tried to repair on his first trip to Africa since becoming the German chancellor, reports The New York Times.
As he tried to steer conversations toward questions of energy independence, Scholz saw firsthand the reluctance of some African countries to join the West in confronting Russia. The neutrality “could have far-reaching consequences for diplomacy and aid and assistance,” said Liesl Louw-Vaudran, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, an African think tank.
Senegal: Germany is working to wean itself off Russian gas; Senegal is preparing to develop renewable energy and it recently discovered offshore gas deposits. But President Macky Sall, the chairman of the African Union, put forth a both-sides diplomacy in a joint news conference with Scholz in Dakar, announcing that he would travel to both Moscow and Kyiv on an upcoming trip.
South Africa: Scholz and President Cyril Ramaphosa met with business leaders at the headquarters of the country’s main fuel supplier. Ramaphosa defended his unwillingness to impose sanctions on Russia and called for dialogue between Ukraine and Moscow.
