South African Republic Cyril Ramaphosa and other African leaders have come under a Russian ballistic missile attack on their visit to Kyiv, ahead of their “peace mission” to Russia. The news was shared by the press service of Cyril Ramaphosa, which detailed that the African leaders had visited Bucha, the Kyiv suburb where Russia killed roughly 700 civilians in their unsuccessful February-March 2022 attempt to seize Kyiv.
His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa and other African Heads of State & Government participating in the African Leaders Peace Mission now at the St Andrew’s Orthodox Church in the City of Bucha in Kiev, Ukraine, receiving a briefing ahead of their visit to the Mass Grave… pic.twitter.com/NawzZOq95J
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) June 16, 2023
In addition to the President of South Africa, the Presidents of Zambia, Senegal, Comoros, and the Prime Minister of Egypt are visiting Kyiv. They arrived in Kyiv on Friday and are expected to arrive in St. Petersburg on Saturday. They are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While the government leaders were reviewing an exhibition of destroyed military equipment in central Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital came under a ballistic missile attack, photographer Yan Dobronosov reported.
Photos: Yan Dobronosov, Telegraf
African “peace plan” for Russia and Ukraine
Details of the African leaders’ mission emerged yesterday, when Reuters found out the details of their project.
According to the news agency, African leaders, including Senegal President Macky Sall and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, are set to propose a series of “confidence-building measures” in an initial attempt to mediate the war between Russia and Ukraine. The African delegation, which also includes leaders from Zambia, the Comoros, and Egypt’s prime minister, is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The leaders are expected to present a draft framework document which promotes peace and encourages both parties to engage in a diplomacy-led process of negotiations. The document lists possible measures, which include:
- Russian troop pull-back
- removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus
- suspension of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin
- and sanctions relief.
It suggests that these measures could help foster an environment conducive to a ceasefire and trust-building among the parties involved.
However, this African peace effort is just one of several competing initiatives aimed at ending the fighting. China, Vatican, and Indonesia have also proposed their own peace plans. Ukraine insists that any settlement of the war should be based on its plan, which requires the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory and reparations by Russia. It is gaining support for holding a summit based on Zelenskyy’s “peace formula” ahead of the July NATO summit in Vilnius.
Ukraine gains European backing for peace summit without Russia – WSJ
African countries have been significantly affected by the war, suffering from disrupted supplies of grain and other food items, aggravating food price inflation and worsening existing hunger crises. To alleviate this pressure, an “unconditional grain and fertilizer deal” could be proposed by the African leaders in the first stage of their engagement.
The trip is being supported by the Brazzaville Foundation, a London-based non-profit organization that supports African initiatives for peace, development, and environment, inspired by the 1988 Brazzaville Protocol that helped end apartheid in South Africa. It informed that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Comoros leader and African Union Chairperson Azali Assoumani, President of the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni, President of Senegal Macky Sall, and President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema will participate in the trip.
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- Wagner owner Prigozhin eyes Africa after setbacks in Ukraine – Bloomberg
- South Africa to consult Russia on ICC arrest warrant for Putin ahead of BRICS summit