South Africa receives distress calls from citizens trapped in Ukraine war
The South African government says it has received pleas for help from 17 citizens who joined mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region and now want to return home. In a statement on Thursday, the presidency said the men, aged between 20 and 39, had contacted South African authorities seeking assistance to leave the war zone. The war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has attracted foreign fighters from around the world, including several from African nations. According to the presidency, the South Africans were “lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.” It did not specify which side they were fighting for. President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into how South African citizens were recruited to fight in the conflict. The government reminded citizens that it […]