A prominent member of the South African national legislature has denounced the United States’ choice to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine.
It comes after the White House acknowledged that contested cluster munitions supplied by the United States to Ukraine were used in combat against Russian forces.
Solomon Lechesa Tsenoli, the deputy speaker of the South African National Assembly, criticized the action as being misplaced.
“I think the use of weapons, such as the United States is prepared to use, irrespective of objections to those who have oversight over them, is wrong. It’s not appropriate,” he said.
“You can’t act in a manner that threatens the entire community into all sorts of subsequent explosions in the country. That leads to even more harm than would have happened.”
According to Tsenoli, the acts would not only extend the battle but also present a long-term concern because cluster munitions have a propensity to cause harm to civilians for years after a fight is over.
He continued by saying that it will not only have a significant influence on Eastern Europe but also on Africa.
China published a 12-point statement in February outlining its stance on a political resolution to the Ukraine situation. Tesnoli thinks that the suggested approach is far superior than how the United States and other Western nations have handled the situation.
“It’s amazing, President Ramaphosa and the rest of the leadership he was with, to address both countries to sue for peace, so to speak, is a crucial step in world politics and the African continent itself, because it is the one that suffers the most even it is not itself in the war, because of the supply routes blocked by war-related questions.
“So, it is important that the peace initiative, in my opinion, led by China in the first place, the 12-point peace plan by China, and the one by the seven or so leaders from the African continent with our President being a part of it, are crucial steps that must be taken seriously.”
In June, African leaders travelled to Kiev and Moscow and presented a peace plan that called for unrestricted grain exports through the Black Sea, de-escalation on both sides, and more humanitarian help.
