France calls for African “solidarity” over Russian invasion

France is calling on African nations to show “solidarity” with Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a French minister told a gathering of regional leaders on Monday.

The war has divided Africa, with nearly half of the continent’s countries again abstaining or not voting to condemn Moscow’s annexation of more Ukrainian territory at the United Nations on October 13.

Russia’s invasion is “an existential threat to the stability and integrity of our continent”, minister of state at the French foreign ministry Chrysoula Zacharopoulou told the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security.

“This is what all Europeans are living through,” she said. “That’s why we expect solidarity from Africa.

“We can never repeat it enough: Russia is solely responsible for this economic, energy and food crisis,” she told the conference, opened by Senegalese President Macky Sall.

The war’s impact has been felt strongly in Africa, where food prices soared as imports notably of cereals and fertiliser were restricted.

France and the West in general are often the butt of accusations of neo-colonialism in Africa — that they try to impose policies on local governments or promote their own economic interests.

In Central African Republic and Mali, Russia has built up close ties that have translated into Russian military support and waning French clout.

Zacharopoulou assured the meeting that when Paris sends a military mission such as the Barkhane force to fight jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel it was not to “substitute” for local armies but to “support” them.

Sall, who is also current head of the African Union, told the conference, “Africa is not against Ukraine. One shouldn’t get the impression that Africans are insensitive to the situation in Ukraine. That’s not it at all.”

But, he said, many Africans felt that their own problems, such as security, the economy or health, were being ignored.

“Africans say that even while Ukraine is at war, is being invaded, is being attacked, Africa is under permanent attack from terrorism,” Sall said.

“This is 2022, this is no longer the colonial period…. so countries, even if they are poor, have equal dignity. Their problems have to be handled with respect.”

Sall called for an overhaul of international governance, and urged greater African representation on bodies such as the UN Security Council and the G20.