African leaders to attend Russia's Victory Day parade
Seven African heads of state are expected to attend Moscow's Victory Day parade on May 9, Izvestia reported on Wednesday. Commemorative events in the Russian capital will mark 80 years since the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Among the invited leaders are Burkina Faso's interim president, Captain Ibrahim Traore, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, and Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie.
South Africa will also be represented at the military parade by Defense Minister Angie Motshekga, whose participation was confirmed by Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola last month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of five African states – Congo, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau – according to Kremlin officials.
Russian Presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that talks with Denis Sassou Nguesso, president of the Republic of the Congo, are scheduled for May 7. The Congolese leader has already flown from Brazzaville to Moscow, the office of the president announced on Tuesday.
Following the parade on May 9, President Putin and visiting foreign dignitaries will lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin wall, before attending a reception at the Kremlin.
Ushakov added that after the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leaders depart Moscow, President Putin will continue bilateral discussions, including talks with the president of Guinea-Bissau. The Russian president will meet with Egyptian leader el-Sisi to discuss key joint projects such as the El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the Russian industrial zone.
Additional high-level meetings with the leaders of Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso are set for May 10.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
40 minutes ago
- Russia Today
African state quits regional bloc over DR Congo dispute
Rwanda has announced its withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) as tensions rise over its alleged role in the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). The move followed an ECCAS summit held on Saturday, during which Equatorial Guinea was retained as the bloc's chair. Rwanda had expected to assume the rotating leadership position. Rwanda's Foreign Ministry said the 11-member bloc 'deliberately ignored' Kigali's right to the presidency in order to impose the DR Congo's diktat. The statement also condemned the 'instrumentalization' of ECCAS by the Congolese government. 'Rwanda denounces the violation of its rights as guaranteed by the constitutive texts of ECCAS. Consequently, Rwanda sees no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose,' the ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Kigali said it had previously protested its exclusion from an ECCAS meeting in 2023, which was held in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa. It criticized both the African Union and the ECCAS leadership for failing to uphold internal rules and procedures. 'The silence and inaction that followed confirm the organization's failure to enforce its own rules,' it stated. Tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa have escalated since the M23 rebels intensified their offensive in DR Congo's eastern provinces earlier this year. The militants have seized major cities, including Goma and Bukavu, reportedly killing thousands of people. Congolese authorities have long accused the Rwandan government of supporting the rebels with troops and weapons – a claim backed by a UN panel of experts. Kigali has repeatedly denied the allegations, insisting its forces are only securing its borders. The accusations have also strained Rwanda's relations with some of its Western partners, including its former colonial metropole, Belgium. In March, Kigali severed diplomatic ties with Brussels and ordered Belgian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours, accusing the country of harboring 'neo-colonial delusions' and interfering in the conflict in DR Congo's mineral-rich east. On Saturday, the office of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi issued a statement saying that ECCAS leaders had 'acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda' and called on the 'aggressor country' to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil. 'The summit recommended that Equatorial Guinea (outgoing) retain the leadership of the organization, to the detriment of Rwanda, until the resolution of its dispute with the DRC,' it stated.
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Russia and Ukraine conduct prisoner swap of under 25s
Russia and Ukraine have conducted another prisoner exchange, swapping soldiers who are under 25 years of age, Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Monday. In a statement on it's official Telegram channel, the Defense Ministry reported that the first group of servicemen have been returned from territories controlled by Kiev. 'In exchange, a similar number of prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were transferred,' the ministry said. The Russian servicemen are currently receiving necessary psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, according to the ministry, and will soon be returned home for treatment and rehabilitation Moscow and Kiev had agreed to exchange certain categories of captives, including those who are seriously injured, ill, or are under the age of 25, during last week's round of direct negotiations in Istanbul. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Advance into another Ukrainian region part of ‘buffer-zone' creation
Russia's recent advance into Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk Region is part of the push by Moscow to establish a 'buffer zone' on the front line, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the 90th Armored Division had reached the western border of the Donetsk People's Republic and continued its offensive into the neighboring territory. The next day, it reported new territorial gains in the area, without providing details. On Monday, Peskov confirmed that the recent advance was aimed at establishing a 'buffer zone' on the front line. 'It is one of the goals, of course, but if we talk about the nuances of the military actions themselves, then your questions should be addressed to the Defense Ministry,' the spokesman said. The intention to create a 'buffer zone' was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin late last month. He delivered his remarks amid recurring Ukrainian drone and artillery strikes targeting civilians in Donbass, as well as Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions. Following his comments, the Russian military also reported advances in Ukraine's Sumy Region along the border. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
