JOHANNESBURG – EFFORTS by some international media outlets to discourage African leaders from attending the Russia–Africa Summit in Moscow by highlighting a suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia and security concerns arising from the Russia–Ukraine war have not prevented more than 30 African countries from confirming their participation.
The summit, scheduled for 28–29 October, offers Africa an opportunity to strengthen economic partnerships, advance sovereignty and challenge a longstanding international order in which Western powers have wielded considerable influence over the continent’s political and economic choices.
Although concerns surrounding public health and regional security deserve responsible reporting, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that Russian authorities had found no evidence of plague among the deceased laboratory worker’s contacts.
No further linked cases of severe pneumonia had been reported. The incident therefore requires careful assessment rather than sensationalism. Critics of Western influence argue that presenting such concerns without adequate context risks overshadowing
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