Poland intercepts plane carrying South African presidential guards

A plane carrying South African President Ramaphosa's bodyguards to Ukraine was stopped by Poland in Warsaw for "carrying dangerous goods on board".

South Africa said a charter flight carrying security forces and journalists was blocked from landing at Warsaw Chopin airport in the Polish capital on June 15 and passengers were not allowed to leave the plane.

"We are deeply troubled by what they have been through," Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said on June 16, describing the incident as "regrettable".

The plane left the capital Pretoria on the morning of June 15, reportedly carrying around 120 people, including bodyguards accompanying President Ramaphosa to Kiev to promote Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Since the outbreak of hostilities, flights to Ukraine have landed in Poland, before passengers travel by train to Ukraine.

The Polish government said the plane was "impounded" because it did not comply with standard entry procedures required by Warsaw.

"There were dangerous goods on board the plane which the South African representatives were not allowed to carry," the Polish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "In addition, there were people on board whose presence Poland had not been informed of in advance."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to the press in Kiev on June 16. Photo: AFP

Earlier, Stanislaw Zaryn, the official in charge of Poland's special services, said that some passengers were not allowed to bring weapons into the country and therefore were not allowed to get off the plane.

According to President Ramaphosa's spokesman, South African authorities are working to resolve the impasse. Meanwhile, the head of the South African president's security forces accused the Polish government of "racism".

"They are obstructing us, putting our President's life in danger. They say we don't have a permit to carry weapons, but we do," said the head of the President's security service, Major General Wally Rhoode, although he admitted that some members of the delegation only carried copies of the necessary documents.

Mr Zaryn said the accusations made by South African officials were "absurd". Spokesperson Magwenya later denied that the incident affected the safety of the South African President.

Mr Ramaphosa arrived in Warsaw on the presidential jet after attending a UN summit in Geneva, Switzerland. After a brief meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, he travelled to Rzeszow, near the Ukrainian border, and then to Kiev by train.

"Despite the setbacks in Poland, the rest of the itinerary is going quite well and according to plan. The president has arrived in Kiev safely," Magwenya said.

By the afternoon of June 16, some journalists were allowed to disembark after more than 24 hours on the tarmac. It is not yet clear whether they will be allowed to continue.

According to Magwenya, South African officials hope the security team will be allowed to accompany President Ramaphosa for the second leg of peace talks in Russia on June 17. The Polish Foreign Ministry said procedures were being put in place to resolve the situation.

Last month, Mr Ramaphosa announced that Africa would set up a peace mission comprising the presidents of six countries – Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa – to travel to Ukraine and Russia to seek a solution to the conflict. The president of Comoros, which holds the chair of the African Union (AU), later announced that he would join the delegation.

According to Mr. Ramaphosa, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky both agreed to receive the African delegation. South Africa also discussed with China the African peace initiative for the Ukraine conflict and received approval from Beijing.

Huyen Le (According to AFP )

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