War in Ukraine: an African peace mission soon in Kiev and Moscow

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday (May 16th) that Kiev and Moscow have agreed to receive the visit of this mission for African peace. REUTERS - ESA ALEXANDER

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday (May 16th) that Kiev and Moscow have agreed to host a delegation led by the heads of state of Zambia, Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville, Uganda, Egypt, and South Africa.

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With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargelès

The announcement comes as relations are tense between Pretoria and Washington, following the remarks of the US ambassador who accused South Africa of supplying weapons to Russia, and that the commander of South African ground forces is currently on an official visit to Moscow. With this mission, Cyril Ramaphosa hopes to reshuffle the cards.

The project, which has been under discussion for weeks, gained momentum over the weekend when the South African president held talks with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts. According to the Head of State, both sides have agreed to receive the visit of this peace mission. The South African president now hopes that this trip can be made "as soon as possible", although the modalities are still under discussion, to decide in particular who will receive the mission first.

According to the Brazzaville Foundation, which oversees the project, these six countries were chosen to represent the continent's different views on the conflict, with countries such as South Africa and Uganda defending their ties with Russia, and others such as Zambia or Egypt, which voted for the withdrawal of Russian troops in the latest UN resolution.

On the South African side, it is not surprising that Cyril Ramaphosa is committed to this project, he whose discourse has always been, since the beginning of the conflict, to demand dialogue and find a negotiated solution for peace, rather than taking sides with one side. According to Pretoria, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the African Union would have welcomed this initiative.

► Read also: South Africa faced with its position of neutrality on the war in Ukraine

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Read on on the same topics:

• South Africa
• Cyril Ramaphosa
• Ukraine
• Russia