At least 55 Ghanaians have died in Russia’s war with Ukraine after being “drawn into battle”, Ghana’s Foreign Minister has said after a visit to kyiv in which officials raised the issue of Russian recruitment of Africans.
Reports of African men lured to Russia by promises of employment and ending up on Ukraine’s front lines have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved.
Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said in a post on
At a news conference on Tuesday, Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, who was standing alongside Ablakwa, said more than 1,780 Africans from 36 different countries were fighting in the Russian army.
Ghana, which has economic and diplomatic ties with Russia, intended to raise awareness about recruitment and dismantle “illegal dark web recruitment schemes operating within our jurisdiction,” Ablakwa said in his post on X. “This is not our war and we cannot allow our youth to become human shields for others,” he said.
The minister said the Ghana government would intensify public education and work to “track down and dismantle all illegal dark web recruitment schemes” operating in the country. He added that the two captured Ghanaians had warned the youths not to be tempted by financial incentives to join the conflict.
South Africa’s government said this week that two of its citizens had died on the front lines of the conflict. The two were separated from a group of 17 South Africans who were lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine and who had mostly been repatriated, South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In South Africa, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, is being investigated by police for her alleged role in luring more than a dozen South African men to Russia.
According to a Kenyan intelligence report, more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia.
Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said 27 Kenyans have been rescued after being stranded in Russia.
Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s foreign minister, has said he plans to visit Russia in March to discuss the issue.
