ZIMBABWE is among 51 nations that abstained from a United Nations (UN) vote on lasting peace in the Russian-Ukraine war, a conflict that has drawn African nationals, including Zimbabweans.
According to the UN, more than 15 000 civilians and 763 children have died in the four-year conflict.
Among them is the late Zimbabwean Mandla Ncube, who was recently killed in Ukraine’s Donbas region while fighting alongside Russian forces.
His body remains stuck abroad owing to an identity crisis following his recruitment by shadowy networks which promised a life of plenty.
Reports indicate that Zimbabwean recruits are transported to South Africa, mainly through KwaZulu-Natal, where fraudulent identity documents are acquired.
Once equipped with false papers, recruits are flown to Russia and officially recorded as South African nationals.
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On Tuesday, the UN voted on the matter of lasting peace, and Zimbabwe was among the 51 nations that abstained.
Among those that abstained were the United States, South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda.
In a post on X, lawyer David Coltart commented, saying Harare’s abstention from the UN vote was immoral.
“In stark circumstances like this, Zanu PF’s so-called foreign policy of ‘enemies of none, friends of all’ is simply immoral,” Coltart posted.
“Would they have said that about apartheid or the Holocaust?
“It is simply morally unacceptable to turn a blind eye to the shocking violations of the UN Charter and basic human rights by the Putin regime.”
The General Assembly adopted a resolution for lasting peace with 107 countries in support.
In a post on X, the European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe also supported calls for lasting peace.
“Sovereignty, territorial integrity and accountability are universal principles that protect all States, large and small,” the post read.
“A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is critical to reaffirm these principles and uphold the right of every sovereign nation to exist and make its own choices.
“The European Union stands for peace grounded in international law.”
On Friday, the EU External Action Service held a Zoom meeting where researchers, who have been following the war, exposed how African nationals are being drawn into the conflict by shadowy networks.
Vincent Gaudio, co-founder and investigator at INPACT Investigation, which maps recruitment pipelines, revealed how recruiters use travel agencies, social media and misleading job offers to identify, transport and deploy African nationals to the frontline in Ukraine.
“A significant portion of recruitment activities take place online, primarily on social media, which today constitutes one of the main channels for information and migration planning for young Africans,” the report read.
“Many African recruits in turn become recruiters themselves, either as online advocates for the ‘opportunity’ to serve in the Russian armed forces or as members or directors of organisations which support the preparation of visa application files.
“While recruiters, online portals and brochures present an attractive opportunity for African recruits, the reality is often very different.
“Africans captured by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield all give similar accounts, describing rapid deployment after signing a contract they could not read or understand because it was written in Cyrillic.”
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday welcomed the return of his country’s nationals who were “lured to” the Russia-Ukraine war.
Pretoria has launched a probe into their recruitment.
According to reports, Ramaphosa expressed “heartfelt gratitude” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who allegedly “responded positively” to his request to support their return.