This diplomatic position came from Dakar, after announcing the recruitment of 36 people in Senegal to help in the war against the Russians, according to “AFP”.
A week after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was “surprised that an appeal to citizens for help was published on the page of the Ukrainian embassy in Dakar on Facebook.”
The statement added that the Ukrainian ambassador to Senegal, Yuriel Pivovarov, was summoned “immediately to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to verify the publication and confirm its authenticity.”
He added that Pivovarov “confirmed the presence of an invitation and the recruitment of 36 volunteer candidates,” according to the text, which does not specify the identities of these.
The statement said that Dakar “strongly condemns this act, which constitutes a violation of the duty to respect the laws and regulations of the host country.”
He pointed out that the recruitment of volunteers, mercenaries and foreign fighters on Senegalese soil is “illegal”.
The embassy called for “immediately withdrawing the appeal and halting any procedure without delay to recruit Senegalese citizens or foreigners from Senegalese territory.”
On Wednesday, Senegal abstained from voting on the United Nations General Assembly resolution “demanding that Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine” and was adopted by a large majority.
The resolution calls on Moscow to “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its military forces” from Ukraine and “condemns Russia’s decision to put its nuclear forces on alert.”
Senegal, which holds the presidency of the African Union, had expressed its “grave concern about the situation in Ukraine”.
But it “reaffirmed its adherence to the principles of non-alignment and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”