Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent decision to reject the three-day ceasefire proposed by Vladimir Putin on May 9 further complicates the position of African countries in this conflict.
This announcement comes as several African leaders, including Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his Burkinabe counterpart Ibrahim Traoré, have confirmed their participation in Victory Day celebrations in Moscow.
For Cameroon, which maintains balanced relations with both sides, this verbal escalation represents a real diplomatic headache.
“We are closely monitoring these developments, which risk compromising international stability,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official on condition of anonymity. The country, which benefits from both Russian military cooperation and Western economic aid, finds itself in a delicate situation.
The announced presence of African leaders in Moscow takes on particular significance in the current context. President Sassou Nguesso spoke at length about the anti-fascist legacy of the USSR, recalling that “the African peoples, victims of colonial oppression, can only support this commemoration.”
These remarks resonate differently in Yaoundé, where the memory of the struggle for independence remains vivid.
