Germany issued an apology on Thursday following outrage it sparked with a tweet aiming at mocking Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who has recently completed a series of state visits across the African continent. 

The tweet, which was published on Tuesday, and contained a leopard emoji, insinuated that trips to Africa are merely restricted to tourist attractions, including its wildlife.

The Russian Foreign Minister #Lavrov is in Africa, not to see 🐆, but to bluntly claim that #Ukraine’s partners “want to destroy everything Russian”. Here is a 🧵 with all of his “evidence”: 1/3

— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) January 24, 2023

Several have criticized the tweet in what clearly appears to be a display of neocolonial mindset.

An African Union official likewise responded to the tweet by stating that what the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said was the continent being portrayed as only about wild animals.

For instance, the spokeswoman for AU Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, Ebba Kalondo, tweeted the following: 

Hi @GermanyDiplo.Your boss @ABaerbock visited the @_AfricanUnion based in one of the more than 20 African countries that Germany enjoys reciprocal diplomatic relations with. Did she come to see animals? Or is the Continent of Africa, its people & wildlife just a joke to you? https://t.co/RkzWsBbBoH

— Ebba Kalondo (@EbbaKalondo) January 25, 2023

In a follow-up tweet, Ebba wrote:

Don't apologise.Just be careful.And respect us as we respect you.Foreign policy is not a joke nor should it be used to score cheap geopolitical points by illustrating an entire Continent with colonial tropes on any issue.Ever. Andyou might want to have a word with @TofferSchmidt https://t.co/tEc5Z46HSJ

— Ebba Kalondo (@EbbaKalondo) January 26, 2023

In the apology, Baerbock said that the leopard emoji was referring to German-made Leopard tanks and that the tweet was intended “to call out the lies that Russia uses to justify its imperialist war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Lavrov has recently ended his tour in Africa where he has visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola and Eritrea. 

During his trips, the Russian diplomat met with several heads of state and high-ranking officials to discuss bilateral issues and strengthen cooperation in all front. 

Read more: Lavrov slams US bill to stop Russian 'malign' activities as colonial

On Friday, Lavrov said that the West is seeking to restore Africa's colonial dependence as they attempt to break the continent's cooperation with Russia.

"With a persistence worthy of better application, [American, British, and EU states] require African countries not to cooperate with the Russian Federation, not to go against a general discipline, by which they, the West, understand the restoration of colonial dependence, by and large, but already in a new form," Lavrov told journalists after a visit to Eritrea.

Since the start of the conflict, Russia continued to made food deliveries, as well as fertilizers, and energy to Africa as the West was seeking to undermine cooperation via anti-Russian sanctions. 

Read more: Russian FM Lavrov lands in Eritrea in surprise visit