When Africa Bleeds, the World Blinks: UN Inaction and the Silence of African Leaders

By iNewsAfrica Correspondent | May 29, 2025

The United Nations faces mounting criticism for its inconsistent handling of global conflicts, showing rapid response in Western crises while dragging its feet on African emergencies. Experts say African leaders share part of the blame, often attending UN summits for visibility but failing to push aggressively for structural reforms or decisive action on the continent’s crises.

• UN slow to respond to African conflicts like Sudan, DRC, and Tigray

• Quick action in Ukraine, Israel exposes double standards

• No African country holds permanent seat on UN Security Council

• African leaders criticized for passive diplomacy at UN forums

• Experts urge bolder reforms and stronger African advocacy

As wars and humanitarian crises rage across Africa—from Sudan to the Sahel—the international response has once again fallen short. The United Nations, mandated to uphold global peace, is under fire for applying a glaring double standard: acting swiftly in European or Middle Eastern crises while moving sluggishly when African lives are at stake.

But beyond the UN’s inaction lies another troubling factor: the silence—or weakness—of African leadership in the very halls of global diplomacy.

“When Ukraine was invaded, the UN sprang into motion, mobilizing votes, funds, and humanitarian efforts within days. But for years, atrocities in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and mass killings in Congo were met with silence or symbolic gestures,” said Dr. Michael Omoruyi, political analyst and director of diaspora affairs for the Liberal Progressive & Patriotic Members Congress (LPPMC).

While it’s true that the UN Security Council is structurally flawed, with no permanent African seat and decision-making often hijacked by global power politics, Dr. Omoruyi argues that African heads of state share responsibility.

“Our presidents fly to New York every September, attend General Assembly galas, deliver lofty speeches—but fail to collectively demand real action or reforms. They often leave without securing a single concrete commitment for their people,” he said.

UN peacekeeping missions in Africa—such as in the Central African Republic, Mali, and the DRC—continue to operate with minimal impact, constrained mandates, and lack of coordination with local governments. Civilians remain vulnerable despite years of presence and billions in expenditure.

The lack of urgency shown by some African leaders has allowed the UN to treat the continent as a footnote, say critics. Rather than forming a unified bloc to demand permanent representation on the Security Council or to strengthen peacekeeping authority, many African governments rely on ad hoc diplomacy and weak continental cohesion.

Dr. Omoruyi emphasizes that this passivity enables the UN to bypass Africa’s crises or approach them with symbolic solutions.

“Until African leaders move from attendance to assertiveness, from speeches to strategy, the global system will continue to deprioritize African lives.”

Calls for Change

Experts and civil society leaders are calling for a new paradigm:

• Permanent African representation on the UN Security Council

• Unified African diplomatic agenda before and during major UN summits

• Stronger mandates for UN peacekeeping forces with real protection power

• Support for African Union and ECOWAS peace mechanisms

• Proactive diplomacy, not reactive lamentations after tragedies occur

The UN’s sluggish response to African conflicts is a failure of the global order—but also a symptom of Africa’s diminished voice in global forums. If African leaders want respect, justice, and equity from the international system, they must demand it with collective force, not passive attendance.

As Dr. Omoruyi concludes, “The world won’t prioritize Africa until Africa prioritizes itself—boldly, unapologetically, and with one voice.”