Operation Young Vote Executive Director Guess Nyirenda says the Russia-Ukraine war has had a significant impact on many countries worldwide, further affecting democracy, and must be stopped immediately.
Democracy in some parts of the world is crumbling due to many factors, but one we cannot overlook is the Russia-Ukraine war. As attention from supporting countries is now focused on the warring countries, other countries in need of support or help are being neglected.
Although the war has been ongoing for years, most of its impact has been felt since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Weeks after the Ukraine Peace Summit held in Switzerland, Russia launched another serious assault on Ukraine, killing dozens. The massive attack were on Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk where more than 40 missiles of various types were fired on Monday, July 8, 2024.
Residental buildings, infrastructure, and a children’s hospital were damaged. At least 20 civilians were reported killed, over 50 were left injured. At Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv which was also hit, children were trapped under rubble. This is a hospital that not only services Ukranians but children from other European countries that seek specialised medical attention in Ukraine.
Some governance players in Zambia have condemned the war, while the government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is still determined to maintain good relations with Russia.
On June 20, during a parliamentary session, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, in response to a trending video of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangangwa who told Russian President Vladmir Putin that the west were consolidating their powers in Zambia, said Zambia desires to maintain its good relations with Russia and other countries, including the west.
“Zambia is a peace-loving nation whose desire is to pursue friendly relations with all nations, including the Republic of Zimbabwe, the Russian Federation, and indeed the United States of America, among others,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Wagner Group, now Africa corps, a Russian private military company, is consolidating its presence on the African continent, prying on the weaker nations mostly at war and in dire economic situations.
The group has been implicated in various conflicts and human rights abuses across Africa, including:
– Mali, where they were deployed to support the military junta, and accused of committing massacres and torture.
– Mozambique where the Wagner Group in 2020 was connected to several attacks of civilians in war torn Cabo Delgado region. The attacks included beheadings, mass kidnappings and villages burned to the ground.
– Burkina Faso, where they Supported the military coup, perpetrating violence against civilians.
– Central African Republic, where they are involved in diamond mining and linked to human rights abuses.
– Libya, backed Khalifa Haftar’s forces, contributing to the country’s instability.
– And sudan, where they Supported the military regime, and we’re accused of suppressing protests and committing atrocities.
The group’s involvement in these countries is often shrouded in secrecy, but it is believed to be driven by Russia’s geopolitical interests and a desire to expand its influence in Africa and other weak democracies.
A Zambia Army personnel Justina Phiri (not her real name) who was on a peace keeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2021 to 2022 confirmed the existence of the Wagner group and their atrocities. “Yes it is true..The group operated in Bria aswel, they conducted their operations without United Nations interfering…They pretended to be killing rebels when in the actual sense they were stealing from the civilians,” she said.
Zambia’s former Foreign Affairs minister and opposition Citizens First (CF) president Harry Kalaba has said the Ukraine-Russia War was unique and had greatly affected Africa.
“Its end would bring relief not only to the people of the two warring countries but to the African Continent,” he added.
And Nyirenda has emphasized that Zambia and other African countries must strive to end their dependence on external powers as the ongoing war is affecting not only their economies but their democracies as well.
He urged African nations to fight dependence by all means necessary, stressing that this would prevent Russia (and other superpowers) from exploiting their dependence to undermine democracy in Africa.
Nyirenda further pointed out that the war has diverted the attention of superpower countries away from Zambia’s needs, leading to neglect.
While African countries are seeking economic and other support from outside the continent, countries such as Russia are riding on some historical ties like scholarships to maintain ties while looking for opportunities to advance their interests.
Two years ago, a Zambian student who was studying in Russia was deployed to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war but he sadly lost his life.
Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda, a 23-year-old student from Lusaka, was studying nuclear engineering at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI). However, he was imprisoned in 2020 for drug-related offenses and was later recruited by the Wagner Group in 2022 to fight on behalf of Russia against Ukraine.
The incident raised concerns about the involvement of African nationals in the conflict, and yet Zambia’s relationship with Russia has not been shaken, teacher and journalist Roland kalangu worries.
“Despite all this, the relationship between Russia and Zambia still remains strong,” he said.
There has been silence since Nyirenda’s burial as the Zambian government is still pursuing efforts to maintain good relations with Russia.
Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa, however, recently told Putin during their brief meeting in Moscow that Zambia’s country’s close ties with the west were unsettling. This forced Zambia to lodge a formal complaint before SADC seeking intervention.
“You see, the west has just begun consolidating its power in Zambia, our next door neighbour. There was a time when Zambia and Zimbabwe were one; it was called northern and southern Rhodesia. It was made one by the British, but they are now separate and the Americans are consolidating their power in that country, both in terms of security and financial support to Zambia to make sure that we feel lonely,” Mnangagwa told Putin.
In response, Haimbe said Mnangagwa’s comments constituted an unwarranted attack on Zambia’s sovereignty.
“For example, not long ago, in March this year, Zambia was one of the first countries that called upon the United States of America and the European Union to remove sanctions against Zimbabwe when the United States imposed new sanctions,” he said.
Haimbe further stated that Zambia has no interest in moving away from its long standing warm relations with either Zimbabwe, Russia or with western partners and said there is need to find a lasting solution to the matters at hand through an appropriate mediation process.
