By John Ikani
The UN General Assembly in New York, overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Thursday, condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly a year ago, with 141 nations backing the measure.
The resolution called for the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and an end to the fighting, carrying significant political weight despite its lack of legal binding.
Seven countries voted against, while 32 abstained, with almost half of the abstentions coming from African countries.
Fifteen African nations, including; South Africa, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe, chose to abstain while Eritrea and Mali were the only African countries to vote against the resolution.
Notably, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, and Guinea-Bissau did not participate in the vote.
On the other hand, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya were among the African nations that supported the resolution.
The #UNGA 11th ESS (resumed) just adopted draft resolution A/ES-11/L.7 on Principles of the Charter of the #UN underlying a comprehensive, just & lasting peace in #Ukraine (by recorded vote: 141 in favour-7 against-32 abstentions)
– FULL TEXT 🔗 https://t.co/cY7MpDcTt5 @UN_PGA pic.twitter.com/wCtq8719t5— UN Media Liaison (MALU) (@UNMediaLiaison) February 23, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the resolution as a powerful signal of global support, with Friday marking exactly a year since the start of the full-scale invasion.
