South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a warning that any attempt to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to South Africa would be considered a declaration of war against Russia. The warning comes ahead of an international meeting scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, to which Putin has been invited.
If Putin leaves Russian soil, he would be subject to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. South Africa, as an ICC signatory, has an obligation to assist in his arrest. However, the country has previously refused to honor this obligation, as it allowed safe passage to Sudan’s then-President Omar al-Bashir in 2015, who was wanted for war crimes.
Putin is expected to visit South Africa in August for a summit of Brics countries, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s largest opposition party, has taken the matter to court in an attempt to force authorities to arrest Putin if he sets foot in the country. However, President Ramaphosa has firmly opposed such a move, citing national security concerns.
Ramaphosa stated in an affidavit that South Africa faces challenges in executing an arrest request for Putin, as Russia has explicitly stated that arresting its sitting president would be considered a declaration of war. He argued that engaging in war with Russia would be inconsistent with the South African constitution.
The president emphasized that South Africa, along with other African nations, is engaged in talks with Russia and Ukraine to find a resolution to the ongoing conflict. He believes that attempting to arrest Putin would be counterproductive to the peace efforts.
African nations’ reluctance to support UN resolutions condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine has been a subject of discussion. Reasons for this reluctance vary among nations, including historical ties such as South Africa’s anti-apartheid links to the Soviet Union and present-day dependencies on Russian Wagner mercenaries in Mali to combat jihadists.
Economic ties between Russia and African nations, including South Africa, also play a role. Reports suggest that a sanctioned Russian oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, is one of the major donors to South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC).