In fact, during the UN vote, several African countries, such as Uganda, Eritrea and Ethiopia, abstained or even stayed away. The AU also refused a similar request by President Zelensky to address the continental bloc on the issue. Some African countries such as Mali, Uganda and the Central African Republic have close defence ties with Moscow. AdvertisementRead: Ukraine's Zelensky renews request to address AUOn Thursday, President Zelensky said Africa should not see the war as distant but look at Ukraine as a victim of an invasion violating international law, which African countries have signed. Although food was excluded from the Western sanctions, Ukrainian ports had remained inaccessible due to mines in the waters and Russian controls of the routes to the docks, disrupting grain deliveries.

Source: Daily Nation August 04, 2022 22:23 UTC