African leaders challenge Moscow over recruitment of foreign fighters

Amnesty International has issued a sharp rebuke to the Kremlin, demanding an immediate end to the deceptive recruitment of African citizens into military ranks. In an open letter, the organization warned that silence from African leadership would betray the very principles of sovereignty and anti-colonialism that many of these nations champion on the global stage. The group argues that treating African nationals as expendable commodities for foreign political objectives is a profound violation of agency.

While the Kremlin confirmed the presence of 22 African heads of state at the two-day summit, it has maintained a calculated silence regarding the allegations. During his opening address, Putin claimed the era of outside powers dictating the fate of continents had passed, yet the presence of foreign fighters in his ranks suggests a starkly different reality for the families awaiting their return.