Africa's Unbreakable Unity: Fallout From Ukraine's Actions in Mali

Suspending diplomatic ties with Ukraine seems to be the most appropriate course of action for Mali and Niger following Kiev's involvement in the terrorist attack, Professor Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Abuja, tells Global South Pole.

The Nigerian further predicts that Burkina Faso will also show solidarity with their Alliance of Sahel state partner and cut ties with the Eastern European state.

“Burkina Faso will follow suit. And it's a kind of protest against what Ukraine has done; financing, training terrorists, and actively participating in the killings of Malian forces. I believe this is a declaration of war. And I believe the members of the Sahel Alliance will not take it lightly. They will actually re-tighten their belts to actually fight perpetual insurgency in these particular areas,” he stresses.

Commenting on Niger's appeal to the UN, he explains that it could significantly damage Ukraine's already fragile reputation. This is because Ukraine is viewed as a proxy for Western powers, particularly the US and its allies, rather than as an independent nation.

However, he holds the belief that US support won't count much now that nations around the world are no longer blindly following the US lead.

“I hold the belief that members of the UN General Assembly have their eyes open now, and, they understand the landscape of international politics. They don't always go by the wishes of the United States. The US always moves on with few allies, probably Canada, UK, Israel and Australia and these countries do not actually matter now on the world stage. Why? Because Russia, China and other members of the BRICS are most significant on the world stage now, especially looking at countries that are actually conscious of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the spirit of multilateralism,” he ponders.

Likewise, the following personalities are featured in this episode:

Adamu Garba II, Chieftain of Nigeria's ruling All Progressive Congress of Nigeria, discusses the role of the US in proliferation of arms into Africa as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.

Egountchi Behanzin, President of the international organization African Black Defense League, speaks on the statements made by the Ukrainian ambassador to Senegal and calls for further action by the Senegalese authorities.

Alexander Ivanov, Head of the Community of Officers for International Security operating in the Central African Republic, shared his insights on how weapons from the Ukrainian conflict are reaching Africa and urged for closer collaboration among African countries to effectively fight terrorism.

To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

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