African countries backed the Russian UN resolution on combating colonialism

Support from Africa

Virtually all African countries supported the Russian initiative to counter modern forms of colonialism. This was stated by Anna Yevstigneyeva, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, in an interview with RIA Novosti, adding that Moscow highly values the support from African states. The report was carried by Gazeta.Ru.

What the resolution contains and how the vote went

In October, the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly approved the resolution 'On combating modern forms of colonialism,' prepared by the Group of Friends in Defense of the UN Charter with Russia's active participation. The document was supported by 85 states, 49 voted against, and 23 abstained. The resolution calls on countries to abandon practices that its authors classify as modern forms of colonialism: interference in the internal affairs of other states, economic coercion, and restrictions on technological development. The document also affirms the right of every country to independently determine its path of political, economic, and social development.

Context of statements by Russian officials

Earlier, according to the same outlet, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev stated, that developing a unified legal definition of the concepts of 'colonialism,' 'neocolonialism,' and 'reparative justice' would help prevent crimes by political opponents. Gazeta.Ru also noted that France had previously accused Russia and Azerbaijan of the unrest in New Caledonia. Yevstigneyeva's statement about the position of African countries relies on the words of the Russian representative; the results of the committee vote, meanwhile, are cited as a separate confirmed fact.