African Union chief announces impending visit to Moscow, Kyiv

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has met with a divided response amongst African nations.

Senegal's President Macky Sall addresses the closing of the thirty fifth extraordinary session of the Meeting of the African Union on the African Union Fee (AUC) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 6, 2022 [File: Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]

Senegalese President Macky Sall has stated he's travelling to Russia and Ukraine quickly on behalf of the African Union, whose presidency he presently holds.

At a joint press convention with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, Sall stated that the journey had been as a consequence of happen on Could 18, that it didn’t go forward as a consequence of scheduling points, and that new dates have been put ahead.

He added that he had acquired a mandate from the African Union to undertake the journey, for which Russia had prolonged an invite.

“As quickly because it’s set, I'll go after all to Moscow and likewise to Kyiv and we've got additionally accepted to get collectively all of the heads of state of the African Union who wish to [meet] with [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, who had expressed the necessity to talk with the African heads of state,” he stated.

“That too might be carried out within the coming weeks.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has hit African economies arduous as a consequence of rising cereal costs and gas shortages, has met with a divided African response.

In early March, Senegal abstained from voting on a United Nations decision – overwhelmingly adopted – that referred to as on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. Nevertheless, a number of weeks later it voted in favour of one other decision demanding Russia halt the struggle.

Practically half of African nations abstained or didn't vote on the 2 UN resolutions.