By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least 26 out of 54 African countries have voted against Russia’s “illegal annexations” of Ukrainian territory after Moscow vetoed a similar text in the Security Council in last month.
The 193 member states of UN General Assembly had on Wednesday condemned Russia’s action during an emergency meeting.
While 26 African countries voted in favour of the resolution rejecting Moscow’s controversial referenda in four Ukrainian regions, nineteen others abstained.
Among countries that abstained include, Mali, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, the Republic of Congo, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Eritrea, which had previously voted to reject a UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also abstained.
Three of these countries hosted Russian diplomatic chief Sergei Lavrov during his tour of the region in July.
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome were absent from the assembly.
The General Assembly adopted the resolution with 143 votes in favour, with five countries against and 35 abstaining, including China, India, Pakistan, and South Africa, despite diplomatic efforts by the United States.
The five states that voted against were Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea, and Nicaragua.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba toured Africa in an effort to counter Russia’s apparent hold on the continent.
The goal was to persuade leaders to support Kiev.
He was forced to cut his visit short after Moscow intensified its bombing of Ukraine.
