Botswana said Saturday that some of its citizens were intercepted at airports in the country, South Africa and Ethiopia while attempting to travel to Russia to join its military in the war in Ukraine.
International Relations Minister Phenyo Butale said 22 Batswana had so far been drawn into deceptive recruitment schemes, indicating an increase in the number of nationals being recruited to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Through vigilance and close collaboration with our sister countries, we have managed to stop and return eight of them intercepted at the very threshold of departure at Sir Seretse Khama international airport in Gaborone, Botswana, OR Tambo international airport in Johannesburg, South Africa and Bole international airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia … just moments before they were carried into the machinery of war,” Butale told lawmakers on Friday.
He said that while some argued that the journeys were a matter of personal choice, the truth was far from it, as they were being lured in and did not realize the danger they faced.
‘Deeply troubled’
“The government remains deeply troubled by the reactions of a small number of our citizens to our public advisories about the danger of enlisting in foreign conflicts,” he added.
According to the nation’s Foreign Enlistment Act, no individual could evade the law by disguising foreign military engagement as employment or training.
“I therefore reiterate the government’s solemn appeal to the young people of Botswana to exercise the utmost caution before accepting any foreign employment or training offer,” Butale added.
