South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed as “historic” last week’s trip of African leaders to Ukraine and Russia, describing it as “the first time African leaders have embarked on a peace mission beyond” the continent. An African contingent including leaders and representatives from seven countries met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the end of last week and over the weekend. There had been hopes that the trip, which was announced last month and led by Mr Ramaphosa, would work towards ending the war, which has badly affected living standards in Africa. The delegation from South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville, Comoros, Zambia, and Uganda put forward a 10-point proposal, including a recognition of Russia and Ukraine’s sovereignty and continued unhindered grain exports. They also called for a de-escalation of fighting and for negotiations to commence with urgency, for the release of prisoners of war and for greater humanitarian support, among other requests.
SOURCE: BBC