Russia’s war in Ukraine a ‘diplomatic conundrum’ for some African nations
- Dozens of countries that have close ties to both Moscow and the West have been hesitant to make their stand known
- Most that didn’t condemn Russia ‘are themselves authoritarian regimes’, some fear angering Moscow, others depend on it for arms, analyst says
Visiting New York in 1990, then-South African president Nelson Mandela was asked why he worked with figures that the US considered adversaries – Fidel Castro of Cuba, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.
“One of the mistakes which some political analysts make is to think their enemies should be our enemies,” he said. “Our attitude towards any country is determined by the attitude of that country to our struggle.”
Ramaphosa said South Africa wanted to be a mediator and that by staying neutral the country was in a better position to help mediate an end to the war.
“Our position is very clear. There are those who are insisting we should take a very adversarial stance and position against Russia. The approach we have decided to take, which is appreciated by many, is that we insist there should be dialogue,” Ramaphosa said in response to questions in parliament last month.