The UN General Assembly on Wednesday condemned Russia’s “illegal annexations” of Ukrainian territory after Moscow rejected a similar text in the Security Council in late September.
Twenty-six African countries voted in favor of the resolution rejecting Moscow’s controversial referenda in four Ukrainian regions. Nineteen others abstained. Mali, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, the Republic of Congo, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were among the African countries that abstained.
Eritrea, which had previously voted to reject a UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also abstained. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome were absent from the assembly.
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.
