Umamah Bakharia 

The Concerned African Forum or CAF says as Africans are concerned about an equitable, just and fair world order as they have followed with concern the events in Ukraine, and between Russia, Ukraine and Nato.

Adding that all progressive thought leaders on the continent must be the vanguard of untangling these developments. Speaking to Radio Islam, Director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies (CACS) at UJ & CAF spokesperson, Professor David Monyae says the situation in Ukraine is not fairly narrated. 

“On major global issues we [Africa] tend to be seen as a footnote or at times in a very condescending way as the case of Ukraine, we [are] seen through poverty, starvation and food supplies,” says Prof Monyae.

In a statement, CAF says Africa should be seen far beyond the crisis of food on the continent. “We are deeply concerned about the manner in which NATO expands and any historical element needs to also be included,” he says.

So far, African countries have been feeling the impacts of the war financially as fuel and food costs have been increasing.

CAF says Africans need to mobilise their institutions and governments to fully understand and develop a perspective beyond the information that has been provided. “We need to ensure that African citizens are aware and they need to rally their government to have a good perspective,” says Prof Monyae.

He adds that even though there has been a division of leaders on the African continent, as the situation in Ukraine has been escalating, African leaders have been uniting in some countries.