By Dr Lulu Brenda Harris
As African heads of state and government gather in Moscow for the Third Russia–Africa Summit from 28 to 29 October, this week, they must confront an uncomfortable question: what is the value of strategic partnerships if African citizens can be deceptively recruited into a foreign war, disappear from their families and, in some cases, die thousands of kilometres from home?
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa is among the leaders attending the summit, which seeks to strengthen economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and African countries.
Beyond trade, investment and geopolitical realignment, the gathering presents an opportunity to address a growing continental concern: the recruitment of African nationals into Russia’s war against Ukraine.
On this topic
This is not about choosing sides in the conflict or questioning African countries’ right to maintain relations with Russia.
It is about African governments standing up for their citizens when recruitment practices raise serious concerns about deception, exploitation and human trafficking.
CITE has documented the experiences of Zimbabweans who travelled to Russia after responding to advertisements for civilian jobs, including driving and security work. Most of them subsequently found themselves undergoing military training before being deployed to the battlefield.
Their families are now searching for missing relatives, seeking confirmation of deaths and struggling to bring home the remains of those confirmed dead.
From the vantage point of the African continent, these should not be isolated problems to be managed quietly by individual governments. It is a continental accountability challenge requiring a coordinated political response.
Why is Africa negotiating in isolation?
African governments have begun responding to the crisis, but largely through separate national efforts.
In March 2026, Kenya announced it had engaged directly with Moscow following reports that more than 1 000 Kenyans had been recruited into the Russian military. The Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, said Russia had agreed that Kenyans would no longer be enlisted through its Ministry of Defence, with future consular matters handled through established diplomatic channels.
South Africa secured the return of some citizens recruited into the conflict, although concerns remain about those still in Russia.
Botswana, meanwhile, emphasised prevention while exploring avenues to assist and repatriate affected citizens.
These efforts demonstrate that diplomatic engagement can produce results. But they also expose the limitations of treating a continental problem as a series of separate national emergencies.
We are not saying Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe or Botswana should stop their individual efforts.
They must do everything they can to secure the lives of their citizens.
However, it is concerning why the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have not done more to establish a common position on protecting African citizens recruited into the war.
Africa’s regional institutions must demonstrate that continental solidarity extends beyond declarations about sovereignty, development and a multipolar world.
If African governments can negotiate economic partnerships collectively, they can negotiate protections for their citizens collectively. The summit in Moscow must be more than trade but also about life.
African leaders must therefore use the summit to seek clear commitments from Moscow to investigate recruitment networks, account for African nationals in Russian military service and cooperate in identifying those who may have been trafficked or deceived.
Families cannot wait for diplomatic niceties
For Zimbabwe, this is an urgent matter. In March 2026, the government reported 15 Zimbabweans had died after being recruited into the war, while 66 remained in Russia. These figures reflect the situation reported at the time and the circumstances of individual recruits require continued verification, as more are believed to have succumbed.
In October this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade collected DNA samples in Bulawayo and Harare from relatives of Zimbabweans who were missing or reportedly dead. Families travelled from across the country hoping the process would help identify their loved ones.
This was a welcome step, but collecting samples is only the beginning. Families need to know when results will be available, how potential matches will be confirmed and when identified remains will be returned for burial.
They also need reliable information about those still missing, including whether they are alive, injured, detained or dead.
Zimbabwe is not alone. On October 6, 2026 more than 30 Kenyan families gathered in Nairobi to urge President William Ruto to raise the recruitment of their relatives into Russia’s war against Ukraine at the Moscow summit. They demanded answers about missing family members and the repatriation of survivors and remains.
Uganda’s Parliament also raised the issue on October 15, 2026 when MP Patrick Katabaazi Kiconco called for an investigation into reports that 121 Ugandans had been recruited into the Russian military.
African leaders must negotiate a practical mechanism for sharing verified information about missing, detained, injured and deceased citizens. This should include clear channels through which families can submit enquiries, receive updates and obtain assistance with repatriation.
The test of African solidarity
African governments have every right to choose their international partners and pursue economic cooperation in their national interests. However, sovereignty does not mean silence in the face of citizens disappearing without trace, in some cases.
Strong diplomatic relations should never prevent difficult conversations but enable them.
African leaders can collectively demand assurances about the treatment and fate of their citizens.
They must establish what safeguards govern recruitment, how informed consent is verified and how Russian authorities will account for African nationals who are missing or dead. Where recruitment is lawful and genuinely voluntary, transparent procedures and effective consular protections are essential.
The summit must not end with another declaration of friendship while African families remain without answers.
African leaders now face a choice: continue negotiating separately while recruitment networks operate across borders or use their collective diplomatic influence to demand accountability and protection for their citizens.
In short, Africa must speak with one voice in Moscow because their citizens demand nothing less.
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