CITE urges African leaders to confront Russia over recruitment of citizens for the Ukraine war

The Bulawayo-based Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE) urged African leaders attending the Russia–Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28 and 29, 2026, to address the recruitment of their citizens to fight in Ukraine. CITE said some people travelled to Russia after being promised civilian jobs, then allegedly signed contracts in Russian, had their documents and phones confiscated, and were sent to the front after about two weeks of training. Zimbabwe reported in March 2026 that 15 citizens had died and 66 remained in Russia; Cameroon has confirmed the deaths of 16 citizens. Citing cases in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and elsewhere, CITE called for coordinated action and noted that Amnesty International had found many such recruitments amounted to human trafficking.