Seven African leaders are in Ukraine and travelling on to Russia on a peace mission, hoping to bring the war there closer to an end.
The group – which includes leaders from South Africa and Egypt – has agreed to engage with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin on a ceasefire and lasting peace.
But the timing of the visit seems off. It comes just as Kyiv is launching its much-vaunted counteroffensive.
The mission is an unusual burst of activism, given Africa’s largely hands-off approach to a conflict that many here see primarily as a confrontation between Russia and the West.
It is also a rare attempt at diplomatic intervention outside the continent – a “welcome development”, given Africa’s growing demand to have a bigger voice at the United Nations and other international organisations, says Murithi Mutiga, Africa director at the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.
Meanwhile, a BBC investigation has found that about 25,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine. That is four times the official figure released by Moscow.
