General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana Kwesi Pratt Jnr has called for the African continent to continue resisting the presence of Ukraine armed forces.
He said during a lecture in Johannesburg this week under the theme “the Sahel seeks Sovereignty” and said the Eastern European country’s presence in the Sahel was destructive calling for neighbouring countries to aid Mali, Niger as well as Burkino Faso in their bids to break free from the hold of the West.
“Now, how many of us know that Ukraine is acting in the Sahel? Killing Malian soldiers.Killing Burkina Faso soldiers. Killing Nigerian soldiers. How many of us know that? And the Ukraine intelligence is not even hiding. It’s admitting that publicly. The Ukraine intelligence is saying that because the Russians are helping the Sahel states with their military hardware and so on, they have a right to enter the Sahel to fight on the side of the Jihadists. What else can be more outrageous than this? So I think it’s important for us to speak out loud against these kinds of presence,” said General Secretary of the Socialist Movement of Ghana Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
Pratt said Ukraine was seemingly targeting the SAHEL due to perceived proximity to Russia.
“Not just in the Sahel, but throughout Africa.We have been able to tell Ukraine that the Sahel is not part of Russia. And it’s certainly not part of Ukraine, “ he said.
The group said African countries should stop allowing western countries from setting up military bases on the continent.
“We need to be worried about the spread of foreign military bases on our continent.These military bases have not been established on African soil.
They have not been established to hunt tomatoes.They have not been established to produce potatoes. They have been established as instruments of domination,” said Pratt in the lecture.
He called for sustained momentum in the pushback against Ukraine.
“And if we have to move forward, we have to go back into our history and adopt the stand that our heroes like Nkrumah took against the presence of all foreign military bases on our soil. And we have to say loud and clear that Ukraine must exit our continent and deal with their own problems,” he said..
As more African countries resist Ukraine and the western powers behind them others have the continent may replace with another with Russia and China seen as becoming closer to the continent.
The rise of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – a new bloc forged by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger – is a bold move towards sovereignty and self-determination. What are the roots of the popularly supported military coups? What led to the mass mobilisations against decades of French neocolonialism? What was the crucial role of grassroots organisations and popular movements in shaping the national agendas and demanding accountability from their new leaders? Why should we all stand in solidarity with the peoples of the Sahel in their bold confrontation with imperialism? Delving into the heart of a region that is forging a new Pan African path, asked Tricontinental Institute for Social Research Mikaela Nhondo Erskog who also participated in the discussions.
Numsa Head of Education Department Vuyolwethu Toli who facilitated the discussions said today’s world stands at a crossroads between the promise of a revitalised majority of the global population, mainly based in the Global South.
This promise, he said, is exemplified by various significant breakthroughs, such as the Alliance of Sahel States (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger).
“Conversely, the world faces the rise of far-right, fascistic politics serving the interests of small groups of exploiters, from Tel Aviv to Washington and even Buenos Aires. The ultimate success of the AES depends not only on the resolve of its leaders but also on the ability of popular organisations – both within the Sahel and internationally – to build a broad coalition, united against imperialism and fascism.
It is through their acts of concrete solidarity, education, and awareness-raising in the coming months that imperialist narratives can be challenged,” he said, adding that the public lecture is therefore an essential event for anyone seeking to understand and debate the shifting geopolitical landscape and the determined quest for sovereignty and self-reliance in the Global South. Join us for the launch and a discussion on why the Sahel’s fight for sovereignty matters to us all.
Their discussion on Friday resulted in the launch of the new Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research dossier: ‘The Sahel Seeks Sovereignty’.
Meanwhile back in Europe Ukraine and Russia remain engaged in peace talks facilitated in the main by US President Donald Trump and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.