From Kenya's perspective, it seemed like they already had it in the bag: In a secret ballot in February, the member states of the African Union (AU) nominated Kenya to take one of three African seats on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, which will become vacant in January 2021.

The importance of having three African, non-permanent members of the UN Security Council should not be undervalued, emphasizes Oloo: "China wants to keep this group, which is known as A3."

So, what role could African countries like Kenya or Djibouti play in the Security Council?

However, South Africa joined the Security Council at a difficult time: The elections in DR Congo left little room for other issues and since 2020, the work of the South African diplomats have been significantly limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I think it is time to have an African country as a permanent UN Security Council member, as the world becomes more and more interdependent."