U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Molly Phee meets with Kenya Deputy President William Ruto at the State Department, Washington DC. Mar. 3, 2022 |Courtesy| Twitter|

By Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON  D.C.  –  It seems like a repeat of Cold War politics as the U.S. is asking African nations to chose sides between the great powers – Russia and America.  The Cold War has heated up again with the current Russian invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. fully backing Kiev.   Russia is asserting itself in Africa again as France retreats. Against this backdrop, the U.S. top diplomat for Africa Molly Phee called on African leaders to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Phee is the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa.   Ambassador Phee held a press briefing last week in Washington D.C. to discuss the “ongoing Russian aggression” in Ukraine in the context of its impact on the nations of the African continent.

“I want you to know that we in the United States are sensitive to the legacy of the Cold War, particularly in Africa. The position and policy of the Biden administration has been to encourage more, not fewer, choices for Africans.  But Putin’s unprovoked aggression is an assault on world order.  We are not asking you to choose sides.  We are asking Africans to join us in choosing the principles I’ve discussed, in choosing people who are now suffering from this assault.”

-Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Molly Phee

A journalist asked Ambassador Phee why the U.S. should require African states to condemn Russian actions.

“Isn’t this going against a state’s sovereign right and self-determination?  This is not our war.”

To which, Ambassador Phee responded: 

“First of all, we are not requiring anyone to do anything, but we believe it is in the interests of all states to join the entire international community in rejecting this aggression. I discussed principles that are enshrined in the UN Charter.  And you might ask, why do those matter to me, an African?  I’d like to start by quoting Ambassador Kimani, the Kenyan representative to the UN Security Council, who said last week, “We rejected” – that is, we, African states coming out of a colonial period – “We rejected irredentism and expansionism on any basis, including racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural factors.  We reject it again today.”

Another journalist asked Ambassador Phee: 

“Why should African countries support the position of the U.S. to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when the U.S. supports the aggression in Israel against Palestinians?”

Ambassador Phee:         ” I would say you’re not supporting the position of the U.S.  That is our position, but it is the position of the majority of the international community.  There’s near universal support in Europe, and there’s also near universal support in Latin America and in East Asia and in Central Asia and the Middle East.  You’ve seen most of the world come together because they recognize that this kind of naked aggression, unprovoked, brutal assault on the civilians of Ukraine is not acceptable anywhere in the world.”

KENYA Backs US in Condemning RUSSIA Invasion 

During a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Molly Phee at the State Department, Washington DC, with leaders @MusaliaMudavadi, @AnneWaiguru, @HonAdenDuale and @AbabuNamwamba. pic.twitter.com/8kvmUGkBwT

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) March 3, 2022

African students in Ukraine Facing Racism at borders Poland

Many Africans and African leaders were outraged at the ugly racism African students studying in Ukraine have been subjected to as they arrived at the borders of Poland seeking refuge. Poland and Europe has welcomed with open arms and warm hearts to the more than 1.5 Million white Ukrainians fleeing their country. But the African students are not wanted in Europe.  A number of Black people living in Ukraine, many of them exchange students, report being blocked as they tried to board trains to escape the war.  “The racist incidents — some documented on video, as the hashtag #AfricansInUkraine flooded Twitter — added individual agony to the desperate nationwide exodus,” Axios.com reports. 

“U.S. State Department has not publicly condemned racism against Africans in Ukraine and Poland” -African Journalist 

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Molly Phee (Credit: USIP)

“Is there any reason why the State Department has not publicly condemned racism against Africans in Ukraine and Poland?” -African  journalist asks. 

Ambassador Phee addressed the racism at the Poland borders against Africans:

“I also know that there has been genuine concern and alarm about the treatment of Africans who had been studying in Ukraine, and I want you to know that we’re proud of Ukraine.  I hope you follow my Twitter account because you will have seen statements by me also reflecting statements by the Ukrainian foreign minister rejecting racism in the treatment of African students in Ukraine.  So absolutely we have – that’s very clear, I think, to you if you live in Washington that the Biden administration, Secretary Blinken, me personally, none of us support racism, and we call it out wherever we see it. The foreign minister has made clear that all individuals caught up in the chaos of this war must receive equal treatment.  The Government of Ukraine has established an emergency hotline for African students.  We’ve also talked to neighboring countries about the need for visa-free entry to help people caught up in this war.”

-Ambassador Phee

Many Africans wonder about potential consequences for African countries that maintain close military and economic ties to Russia following the invasion, particularly of Mali and the CAR, where Russian mercenaries are deployed and their weapons.

Assistant Secretary Phee:  

“…prior to this war that Putin launched, the United States and many African countries have been concerned about the presence of the Wagner Group in Mali and in the CAR.  I think we share the concerns of the populations of those countries as well as many other Africans about the conduct of those mercenary forces.  What we have seen is a reckless disregard for civilians.  We have seen the abuse of force to achieve political objectives.  And those are the types of behaviors we’re now seeing in Ukraine. A third element in Africa is we’ve seen these foreign mercenaries exploit the natural resources of African states for their own ends, not for the development of African economies and countries.  So regardless of what happened in Ukraine, we believe that the presence of such mercenaries on the continent is not good for those countries and is not good for Africans, and we support particularly the voice of ECOWAS in rejecting and calling for an end to the presence of such groups which are so disruptive to the lives of Africans where they are present.”