The South African minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, has described the continuous conflicts in African countries as a consequence of external interference on the continent by the United States and other western countries.
She made this known in a Joint press availability with the United States Secretary of States Anthony Blinken, held in Pretoria, South Africa.
Minister Naledi accused the United States of trying to bully African nations into isolating nations like China and Russia which are at loggerheads with the USA.
A draft bill has been passed by the United States house of Representatives that seeks to penalize and sanction African countries who trade anything apart from grain with Russia. The passed bill is called ‘Containing Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act’.
While condemning the war by Russia on Ukraine, minister Naledi has called described the bill as ‘offensive legislation’. She opines that it is a bill that looks down on the sovereignty of African countries and its ability to choose who its want to relate with.
She defended South Africa’s neutrality on the conflict and called for the issue to be resolved diplomatically. She also berated the for giving lesser attention to the conflict in the middle east between Israel and Palestine. Saying all these conflicts should be giving same attention as no oppressed people is better than another oppressed people.
She said that Africa had a right to choose who it’s want to relate with and will not succumb to ‘patronizing bullying’ by the United States and other western powers.
In her words; ‘All nations are equal according to the United Nations Charter. Every nation can hold different opinions and are not under any obligation to make the United States enemies its own enemies’.
‘Though we might differ in economic might or ability to wield influence in other nations, African nations should still be treated with respect and should not be looked down upon.’
Minister Naledi went further to accused the United States of spreading instability in African countries in the guise of spreading democracy.
‘America comes to you, trying to teach you how democracy works when in reality, they are after your mineral resources in your country’.
The United States and other western powers are a destabilizing force only interested in exploiting the natural resources that can be obtained in your country.
We’ve seen this play out during the cold war era and most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also in Africa, Libya has been on the receiving end of the brutality of western imperialist.
The minister opined that the presence of these mineral resources is what attracts the presence of the united states and other external influences who do not have the interest of Africa at heart.