Photo : Russian Foreign Ministry/Reuters/The Guardian
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Russian Foreign Ministry/Reuters/The Guardian
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Lavrov concludes tour of four African countries
On 27 July, Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov concluded his tour to four African countries appreciating their stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. Lavrov conveyed that Russia was a better partner for Africa as it does not draw from a colonial mindset the US and other Western countries allegedly have. Lavrov visited Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Ethiopia during the tour. (“Russia’s Lavrov in Congo as Moscow courts Africa,” Al Jazeera, 27 July 2022)
DRC: 15 killed in anti-UN protests in the east
On 26 July, at least three UN peacekeepers and 12 civilians were killed in protests against the UN which began on 25 July in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The protesters said the UN has failed to protect civilians from armed militia groups. On 27 July, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence; the UN deputy spokesperson said Guterres maintained that “any attack directed against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.” Guterres also called on the DRC government to investigate the same. On the other hand, some media reports quoted activists and Reuters journalists who said the UN forces also shot at protesters resulting in some of the deaths. (Djaffar Sabiti and Fiston Mahamba, “At least 15 killed as anti-U.N. protests flare in east Congo,” Reuters, 27 June 2022; Silja Fröhlich, “DR Congo: Death toll from deadly anti-UN protests rises,” Deutsche Welle, 28 July 2022)