The European Union’s ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, has raised concerns over reports that Russia is recruiting Nigerians and other Africans to support its war effort.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Mignot said civil society organisations have documented a growing trend in which African men and women are lured with promises of jobs. According to the ambassador, women are reportedly offered employment in military production facilities in Russia, while men are allegedly sent to fight on the front lines.
“Russia is running out of soldiers, so they have been increasingly recruiting from Africa, including Nigerians, and it’s extremely crude sending these people, who have absolutely nothing to do with this war, to the front,” Mignot said. He added that some recruits have already been captured by Ukrainian forces, prompting African governments, including Nigeria, to respond.
Russia has denied the allegations, calling them unfounded. However, Mignot maintained that testimonies from African recruits support the claims and said Russia’s denial reflects an unwillingness to stop the practice.
On perceptions that Russia is winning the war, Mignot dismissed the notion as false. “There is a stalemate at the front. In the last few weeks, it is actually Ukraine that has reclaimed a few hundred square kilometres of territory,” he said.
The war began on February 24, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the independence of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions and launched what he called a “special military operation.” The conflict has since killed tens of thousands and displaced millions of people.
Mignot emphasized that lasting peace is unlikely to be achieved through military means alone and urged international pressure on Russia to engage in dialogue.
This development has raised concern across Africa, highlighting the risk to civilians recruited into a war with which they have no connection.
By: Gilbert Ekugbe
