- Sputnik Africa, 1920, 10.04.2023
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate and defend the inhabitants of the Donbass region, where people have been suffering from a blockade and regular attacks by the Kiev regime's forces since 2014.

South Africa Still Working 'Behind the Scenes' to Bring End to Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Presidency

© Sputnik / Go to the mediabankRussian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the leaders of a number of African states who arrived in St. Petersburg to negotiate possible ways to resolve the situation in Ukraine on June 17, 2023.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the leaders of a number of African states who arrived in St. Petersburg to negotiate possible ways to resolve the situation in Ukraine on June 17, 2023. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.11.2023
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Earlier this month, South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa met with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, with both sides agreeing that the conflict should be resolved through the office of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Away from the media spotlight, the South African government remains actively engaged in a peace mission to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said at a press briefing in parliament, as reported by local media.
The presidency added that since the launch of the African Peace Initiative in June, President Cyril Ramaphosa has had several follow-up meetings and phone calls with the leaders of Moscow and Kiev.
"So while you may not see heads of state traveling to Ukraine and Russia, as you saw when the African Peace Initiative was kicked off, there’s work that is underway," he said as quoted by local media. "There’s ongoing engagement between South Africa and Russia, as well as Ukraine on the issue of grain, for example."
Magwenya said that mediators are still hammering out a peace plan for Russia and Ukraine that calls for a series of confidence-building measures, including the release of prisoners of war.
The South African government is also endeavoring to tackle several conflicts on the continent, including Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the spokesperson added.
Servicemen of theRussian Baltic Fleet Army Corps in the command and staff vehicle during the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems electronic launch exercise. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.11.2023
Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine
South Africa Agrees With Qatar Ukraine Conflict Should Be Settled Via UN Efforts: Presidency
South Africa was among seven African countries that proposed to Russia and Ukraine a peace plan initiative. A high-level delegation visited Moscow and Kiev in June to explore a 10-point plan that included security guarantees, freedom to export Black Sea grain, release of prisoners and initiating peace talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the delegation that peace talks are impossible until Russia withdraws its troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that some points of the African initiative coincide with Moscow's position and that the talks should continue.

With regard to the DR Congo, South African troops are involved in peacekeeping operations against the M23 rebel group in the east of the Central African country under the auspices of the UN MONUSCO mission, as well as within the framework of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
In Mozambique, SADC troops have been deployed since July 2021 as a regional response to terrorism and acts of violent extremism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. In August, SADC agreed to extend the mission by another 12 months.
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