Senegalese President and African Union (AU) Chairman Macky Sall shook hands with a smiling Vladimir Putin before sitting down to discuss the war in Ukraine with him.
The scene, Friday in Sochi on the 100th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, marked a significant step in Sall’s efforts to strengthen Africa’s global political position.
« A large part of humanity is very attentive to what is happening » in Ukraine, Macky Sall said, referring to the need to release grain and fertilizer stocks.
« I came to see you to ask you to be aware that our countries, although far from the theater (of war), are victims of this crisis on the economic level, » he said.
Four months into his one-year term as AU chair, the diplomatic mission is just one of several ambitious initiatives the Senegalese leader has launched on the international stage.
He has also called for two permanent African seats on the UN Security Council, advocated for the AU to join the G20 and demanded reform of the OECD to extend loans to African countries.
Sall is providing « good leadership to ensure that the voice of the African continent is heard, » said Alioune Tine, founder of the Afrikajom Center think tank in Dakar.
Sall’s mission to Europe is « unprecedented, » he said. « It is normally the Europeans who get involved in African wars. Now, if Africans are mediating, it is an excellent thing.
A dozen African countries, including Senegal, depend on Russia and Ukraine for at least half of their wheat imports, according to the FAO.
Several African countries are feeling the combined effects of delayed grain exports and rising fuel prices.
At a recent press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Sall said African countries were « deeply divided » over the Ukrainian conflict. He reiterated calls for a cease-fire.
« We want peace even if we condemn the (Russian) invasion, » he said, although he himself was reluctant to clearly condemn Russian aggression.
Senegal abstained March 2 in a U.N. General Assembly vote to demand « that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine. »
The country then voted for a second resolution on March 24 demanding that Russia stop the war immediately.
Nearly half of the African countries abstained or did not vote in both votes.
Russia has made inroads in Africa through military alliances and arms deals.
In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted dozens of African leaders in Sochi in an effort to reassert Russia’s influence on the continent.
Sall, who was invited by Russia on Friday, also spoke with Putin by phone on March 9. On April 11, he had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The AU is scheduled to hold a video address with Zelensky after the Sall-Putin meeting.
- « Do everything at once » –
On Saturday, Mr. Sall is scheduled to participate in a summit of ECOWAS in Accra.
He has also been invited to the upcoming G7 summit in Germany.
« President Sall’s goals are quite ambitious … but he can’t reform the UN, the G20 and the OECD in six months, » said Ibrahim Nyei, a Liberia-based researcher.
In a recent speech to young African leaders, Sall said he wanted two permanent African seats on the Security Council – or a reform of the rules so that no single country could veto decisions. He estimated that African issues account for 70% of the Council’s business.
Africa, which has « more than a billion » inhabitants, « must have its say, » said Mbaye Babacar Diop, a Dakar-based consultant.
With close ties to France and the United States, as well as relations with China, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Senegal has one of the most dynamic diplomatic relationships in Africa.
But Senegal has experienced domestic crises in the four months since it took over the AU.
Last week, a fire at a hospital in the town of Tivaouane killed 11 newborns, forcing Mr. Sall to cut short his attendance at an African summit to return home.
His opponents fear he will exploit constitutional changes approved in 2016 to argue that a two-term presidential limit does not apply and run for a third term in 2024.
These fears contributed to the anger expressed in protests in March 2021, the worst in years. Sall said he would announce his decision after the July legislative elections.
Macky Sall « must not neglect Senegalese problems, he must not neglect African problems, he must not neglect global problems, he must do everything at once, » Diop said.
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