Africa’s geostrategic alignments in response to the Ukraine war

The document analyzes the varied diplomatic positions of African nations regarding the Ukraine war, noting a split between those condemning Russia and those maintaining neutrality to preserve bilateral ties. It argues that African states should move from being passive bystanders to proactive actors by mediating peace, filling resource gaps created by sanctions, diversifying commodity imports, and strengthening pan-African unity.

• African nations have exhibited diverse diplomatic responses to the invasion: 28 African Union member states voted for a U.N. resolution condemning Russia, while 26 others voted against, abstained, or did not vote, often to maintain military cooperation and bilateral ties with Moscow.
• African countries have highlighted perceived double standards by Western nations and Ukraine, specifically regarding the discriminatory treatment of Africans fleeing the conflict and the disparity in international financial and media attention compared to African crises.
• The conflict has caused significant economic strain across Africa due to rising prices for oil, gas, and wheat, which has hindered recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and complicated domestic reforms, such as fuel subsidy cuts in Zambia.
• The author proposes four strategic actions for African states: taking a leadership role in peace negotiations, leveraging resource gaps caused by Western sanctions to broker trade agreements (specifically for oil, maize, minerals, and gas from countries like Angola, Mozambique, and Libya), diversifying commodity import sources, and addressing internal disunity within regional bodies like the AU, ECOWAS, and SADC.

APA

Vayez, A. (2022). Africa’s geostrategic alignments in response to the Ukraine war. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/africas-geostrategic-alignments-in-response-to-the-ukraine-war

Chicago

Vayez, Aaliyah. Africa’s geostrategic alignments in response to the Ukraine war. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2022. https://afripoli.org/africas-geostrategic-alignments-in-response-to-the-ukraine-war.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vayez |first1=Aaliyah |title=Africa’s geostrategic alignments in response to the Ukraine war |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=30 June 2022 |url=https://afripoli.org/africas-geostrategic-alignments-in-response-to-the-ukraine-war |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vayez2022africas, author = {Vayez, Aaliyah}, title = {{Africa’s geostrategic alignments in response to the Ukraine war}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://afripoli.org/africas-geostrategic-alignments-in-response-to-the-ukraine-war}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }