Group asks African leaders at Moscow summit to take up recruitment of citizens into Ukraine war
- A Zimbabwe-based media group wants African heads of state to raise the recruitment of Africans into the Russia-Ukraine war at this week's Moscow summit.
- It says recruits were promised civilian jobs but had passports taken and were sent to the front after about two weeks of training.
- Zimbabwe says 15 of its citizens have died in the war, and families in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Nigeria have also raised concerns.
A Zimbabwe-based accountability journalism group has asked African leaders meeting in Moscow this week to put the recruitment of African citizens into the Russia-Ukraine war on the table.
The Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE), based in Bulawayo, made the call ahead of the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for 28 and 29 October 2026. Its Director of Media Centre, Zenzele Ndebele, signed the statement.
CITE said many Africans went to Russia expecting ordinary civilian work, such as security, driving or factory jobs. On arrival, according to recruits and their families, some were handed contracts written in Russian that they could not read, and their passports and phones were taken from them.
The group said many were then sent to the front line after roughly two weeks of training. Back home, families are searching for relatives who have gone quiet, mourning those confirmed dead, and asking their governments to step in.
Zimbabwe's toll and DNA samples
Ndebele said the Zimbabwean government reported in March 2026 that 15 Zimbabweans had died after being recruited into the war, while 66 were still in Russia. CITE said thousands of Africans have been recruited across the continent.
Families, he said, are asking whether their relatives are still alive, where they are being held, and when the bodies of those who died will be released for burial.
CITE welcomed a step by Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which collected DNA samples in Bulawayo on 13 and 14 October from relatives of Zimbabweans reported missing or dead. Families travelled from across the country for the exercise.
The group said those families now want to know when the results will be ready and when remains will be returned for burial.
The concern is not Zimbabwe's alone. CITE said similar cases have been reported in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, South Africa and Nigeria.
In Kenya, more than 30 families met in Nairobi on 6 October and asked President William Ruto to raise the matter in Moscow. Uganda's Parliament discussed it on 15 October. In Cameroon, where the government has confirmed 16 deaths, families formed a group in August called "Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers" to press for answers.
CITE also pointed to a September 2026 Amnesty International report, which found that recruiting foreign nationals into the war amounts to human trafficking in many cases because the recruiters operate across borders. In CITE's view, countries working together will get further than acting alone.
What the group wants
CITE said it respects the long-standing ties between African countries and Russia and each government's right to choose its partners. It argued that good relations should make it easier, not harder, to raise painful issues.
Specifically, it asked African leaders at the summit to agree with Moscow on investigating the networks behind the false job offers; accounting for African citizens who are missing, held or dead, including sharing records with their governments; helping those who want to return home to do so safely; sending back the remains of the dead; and setting up a clear channel for verified information to reach families.
CITE said it hopes the summit will bring families answers and firm commitments from both sides.
CITE said it would keep reporting on the cases. It also urged the African Union and its member states to speak with one voice on the issue.
