The New York Times published on 24 March 2022 an article titled "The U.N. General Assembly Adopts a Strong Resolution Blaming Russia for Ukraine's Humanitarian Crisis" by Farnaz Fassihi.
The UN General Assembly resolution blamed Russia for creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in Europe in decades and demanded that Russia abide by humanitarian laws, including the protection of civilians and infrastructure, safe passage for humanitarian aid and an end to the war.
The vote was 140 in favor, 38 abstentions (19 of the abstentions were African countries and another 7 African states did not vote) and 5 opposed (Russia, Syria, North Korea, Belarus, and Eritrea). Half of the countries in Africa abstained, did not vote, or in the case of Eritrea voted with Russia.
UN Multimedia published a readout of each country's vote.
Comment: Most of the African countries that abstained or failed to vote were not surprises, but some were surprising. Botswana, Ethiopia, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, and Tanzania abstained while Eswatini, Morocco, and Somalia failed to vote. It was no surprise that Eritrea distinguished itself as solidifying its position as Putin's most loyal African puppet.
