Pressure mounts on Zim over Ukraine war

ZIMBABWE is facing mounting pressure to secure concrete assurances from Russia over the recruitment of its citizens for the war against Ukraine after Ghana and Kenya obtained commitments from President Vladimir Putin to stop enlisting their nationals into the Russian military.

These diplomatic developments have exposed a growing regional crisis with African governments increasingly engaging Moscow directly to halt recruitment, establish the fate of missing citizens and facilitate the return of those deployed to the battlefield.

Ghana’s President John Mahama reportedly secured Putin’s commitment that Ghanaians will no longer be recruited into the Russian military whether through irregular channels or voluntary enlistment following discussions on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on October 30.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said 62 Ghanaians died in the conflict, while 15 others were missing.

Kenyan President William Ruto also announced that Putin agreed to designate Kenya a “non-source country” for recruitment into the Russian military.

Ruto said he appointed a defence attaché at Kenya’s embassy in Moscow to engage the Russian Defence ministry on the repatriation of Kenyans already recruited and processing of compensation for affected families.

South Africa also secured Russian co-operation months earlier after President Cyril Ramaphosa personally engaged Putin over citizens allegedly lured to fight alongside Russian forces.

In a telephone conversation on February 10, the two leaders agreed to support the process of returning South Africans involved in the conflict, with teams from both governments tasked with co-ordinating the arrangements.

On February 24, the South African presidency confirmed that 17 men aged between 20 and 39 had sought assistance to return home after being recruited into the conflict.

Four had returned and 11 were expected home shortly while two remained in Russia, including one who was receiving medical treatment in Moscow.

Ramaphosa thanked Putin for responding positively to his appeal while South African authorities continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the recruitment.

The South African experience, alongside the latest Ghanaian and Kenyan commitments, raises questions over whether Zimbabwe has pursued similar high-level diplomatic engagements and secured practical arrangements for its citizens.

The issue has become particularly urgent following the arrest of nine Zimbabweans in South Africa on November 8 over allegations that they were attempting to travel to participate in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Five were arrested at OR Tambo International Airport, while four others were apprehended at a hotel in Bruma, Johannesburg, during an intelligence-led operation involving the Hawks, Interpol and other law enforcement agencies.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 46, appeared before the Kempton Park and Johannesburg magistrates’ courts on November 9.

They face charges under South Africa’s Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998, which regulates military assistance and recruitment for foreign conflicts.

Their cases were postponed to allow them to secure legal representation, with all nine remaining in custody.

South African authorities have not publicly established who recruited them or the precise circumstances surrounding their intended travel.

The arrests, however, reveal the cross-border dimension of recruitment networks and the possibility that South Africa is being used as a transit point for Zimbabweans seeking to join the foreign military operation.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s post-summit Cabinet report presented on November 3 made no reference to recruitment, missing nationals, deceased recruits or arrangements to facilitate their return from Russia.

This is despite the government having acknowledged the crisis, confirming in March that 15 Zimbabweans died in the conflict while 66 others remained in Russia.

The government subsequently revised the reported death toll to 18.

A recent investigation by NewsDay, citing Ukrainian intelligence figures reported by Bloomberg, indicated that Russia had recruited 530 Zimbabweans between January and September this year.

Human rights advocate Iphithule Maphosa has described the recruitment schemes as organised trafficking, warning that economic desperation is being exploited to lure vulnerable young people to a foreign battlefield.

“These networks are taking advantage of desperation,” Maphosa said.

“They promise jobs or education, but what we are seeing is trafficking into a war zone.”

He called for stronger public awareness campaigns, particularly in rural communities where jobseekers may have limited access to information to verify overseas employment opportunities.

Legal expert Nqobizitha Ndlovu has also raised questions about Zimbabwe’s legal position regarding citizens participating in foreign military activities, particularly the implications to the country’s diplomatic relationship with Russia.

Ndlovu explained that provisions of the Suppression of Foreign and International Terrorism Act create an exemption for military services provided to governments with which Zimbabwe maintains diplomatic relations.

“In simple terms, the legal position under sections 2 and 3(1) is that mercenary activity is a criminal offence,” he said.

“But if you look at section 3(2), it allows individuals or citizens of Zimbabwe to provide private military services or activities — which would ordinarily be regarded as mercenary or criminal — to States with which Zimbabwe has diplomatic relations.

“If the service is provided in support of a government with which Zimbabwe has diplomatic relations, then it is not criminal.

“Since Zimbabwe has diplomatic relations with Russia, as long as those involved are operating under the authority and discipline of the Russian army, it would not be considered a crime.”

Ndlovu said the legal position could make it difficult for Zimbabwe to challenge recruitment into the Russian military purely on the basis of mercenary activity. “For instance, if Zimbabweans go to Russia and fight in support of the Russian government and Zimbabwe maintains cordial relations with Russia, the government is unlikely to condemn the recruitment of its citizens for that purpose,” he said.

The opposition has also raised concern over the recruitment networks.

Zapu national organising secretary Ndodana Moyo warned that unscrupulous recruiters are preying on unsuspecting young people, calling for greater public vigilance and government intervention.

“This must serve as a wake-up call. We cannot allow our children to be lured to a foreign war under false promises — the risks are grave and the consequences devastating,” he said.

Government spokesperson Ndavaningi Mangwana has also warned that recruitment agencies can be exploiting recruits financially, alleging in a post on microblogging site X that some withhold salaries, sign-on fees and other payments.

These concerns have reinforced international scrutiny of recruitment into the Russian military, with a United Nations commission of inquiry reporting deceptive and coercive recruitment practices involving foreign nationals from 29 countries.

Zimbabwe has undertaken DNA sampling from relatives of citizens reported missing or killed in the conflict to assist in establishing their identities.

However, families require clear information about the whereabouts of their relatives, the circumstances surrounding their deaths and arrangements for the return of survivors and deceased nationals. – NEWSDAY