The security guards of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who traveled to Russia, were forced to return to the country this Saturday due to a refusal by Poland to allow a stopover over a gun permit issue.
The security delegation, numbering about 120 people, traveled aboard a second plane that accompanied the plane transporting the African heads of state visiting Kiev and landing today in St Petersburg, Russia, on a trip to talk with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia , Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, respectively, a solution to the conflict in Eastern Europe.
This weekend, four African heads of state – Cyril Ramaphosa from South Africa, Macky Sal from Senegal, Hakainede Hichilema from Zambia and Azali Assoumani from the Comoros (current president of the African Union) – will travel to São Petersburg and Kiev to meet with Zelensky and Putin .
The entire delegation from South Africa’s Presidential Protection Service, including its director, Wally Rhoode, was forced to return home, after 26 hours of negotiations with Polish authorities, at Chopin Airport in Warsaw, according to the South Africa’s report. African media.
Given this scenario, Ramaphosa must be protected by the security arrangements of the other African leaders accompanying him on the journey.
Rhoode accused Poland of sabotaging the South African president’s security plan amid veiled insinuations of racism, which the Polish government categorically denied.
“The passengers of the South African plane that landed in Warsaw were not allowed to carry weapons. Therefore, they were not allowed to leave the plane with their weapons, so they thought they would stay on board,” explained the Polish Secretary of State. , Stanislaw Zaryn.
Source: DN
