Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is also the current head of the African Union (AU), on Wednesday, appealed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a lasting ceasefire in Ukraine, reported Africa News.
“As president of the African Union, I am delighted about my talk this morning with President Putin to press for a lasting ceasefire,” Mr. Sall wrote in a tweet.
The Senegalese president commended Putin for listening to him and for his willingness to maintain dialogue for a negotiated outcome to the conflict.
After Russia launched its invasion on February 24, the African Union issued a statement calling for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and international law to be upheld. It also urged Russia and Ukraine to implement an immediate ceasefire and open negotiations under UN auspices.
The Senegalese president and AU chairman had urged Russia and Ukraine for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of negotiations with the help of the United Nations.
Senegal, which has strong relations with Western countries, surprised the international community last week by abstaining from a UN General Assembly vote in favor of a resolution that calls for Russia to immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS also continues to condemn the invasion.
In related news, Ukraine has told the UN that it has decided to repatriate its 250 peacekeepers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a UN peace mission.
The withdrawal will include its entire military contingent, including personnel, helicopters, and equipment from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco).
Ukraine also has a military presence in other UN peace missions around the world including 16 personnel in South Sudan, 12 in Mali, 5 in Cyprus, 4 in Abyei in Sudan, and 3 in Kosovo, according to the UN.
