Speaking at a high‑level engagement in Johannesburg, SA, Scherba described the situation in his country as devastating, marked by destroyed homes, shattered livelihoods and widespread trauma. He said the international community often fails to grasp the full extent of the war’s impact on ordinary civilians.
The discussion, hosted by the Embassy of Ukraine in SA alongside the Embassies of Norway and the European Union Delegation, and the SA National Editors’ Forum, focused on peace and security challenges, with particular attention on Ukraine and the broader global consequences of prolonged conflict.
Providing Analysis during the engagement, Dr Philani Mthembu, Executive Director of the Institute for Global Dialogue at the University of SA, said the war erupted at a critical moment for developing countries, just as the world was emerging from the COVID‑19 pandemic. “Many developing countries, including SA, wanted the global focus to return to the Sustainable Development Goals,” Mthembu said. “Instead, enormous resources were redirected towards defence spending and war efforts.”
He noted that the conflict has had far‑reaching consequences beyond Europe, disrupting global supply chains, driving inflation and pushing up the cost of food and fertilisers. Russia and Ukraine are major players in global agricultural markets, and disruptions have had a direct impact on food security across Africa.
Mthembu warned that ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and parts of Africa are compounding global development challenges and undermining progress towards eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. He also raised concerns about the weakening of international law and multilateral norms, arguing that the lack of decisive consequences for violations risks normalising war as a foreign policy tool. “This does not bode well for the international order,” he said. “We are seeing boundaries pushed in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and Sudan.”
Mthembu argued that middle powers, including SA, have a crucial role to play in defending multilateralism and pushing for diplomatic solutions. “Finding an end to the war in Ukraine is not just about Europe,” he said. “It is about restoring global stability and protecting development prospects, especially for the Global South.”
–ChannelAfrica–
