Photo: Wojtek RADWANSKI/AFP/getty
As thousands of people in Ukraine flee the country followingRussia’s invasion, African students are reportedly speaking out that they face discrimination at the border of Poland while attempting to escape to safety.
Black people say they have had issues using public transportation to get to the the borders, while others say they have not been permitted to cross into other countries,according to Insider.
Korrine Sky, a 26-year-old medical student living in Ukraine, told Insider that African students were told of an alleged “Ukrainians first” policy when they struggled to move out of the country.
“Some people have gone to get buses, but they’re not allowing Black people basically onto the buses,” she said. “They’re prioritizing Ukrainians. That’s what they say.”
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These accounts of discrimination are based on anecdotes from those people trying to leave and it remains unclear which government authority may be responsible, if any. Additional details were not available.
Due to the situation, Sky says she has been helping coordinate escape routes for hundreds of African students trapped in Ukraine.
“I’m very, very afraid,” she told Insider. “We’re not getting any help from any of the embassies. They have pretty much just said, ‘Save yourselves.’ "
Omar Marques/Getty
Thousands of African students travel to Ukraine to study because of its affordable education in medicine, engineering and other technical-related fields.
Percy Ohene-Yeboah, an engineering major from Ghana, toldReutersthat he is currently stuck in the country with nowhere to go. As Russia’s attacks continue, he has settled in the basement of a church, where he spoke to the outlet via phone.
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“In a situation like this, you’re on your own. You’ve got to find the best way to find refuge for yourself,” he said, adding that he has received no help from his government at home. “It’s now that the reality is really hitting me. I think for me, it’s a bit too late for evacuation and all those things.”
Russia began an invasion of Ukraine last week, according to the Ukraine government, with forces moving from the north, east, and south. The attack is still evolving, but explosions and airstrikes have been reported, with threats mounting against the capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million people.
While the ongoing conflict between the two European regions intensified, at least 150,000 Ukrainians have fled the country for safety, according to theAssociated Press.
BBC correspondent Stephanie Hegartytweetedon Saturday about a Nigerian student, who claimed Ukrainian guards at the Ukraine-Poland border were preventing Black people from crossing.
“A Nigerian medical student at Poland/Ukraine border (Medyka-Shehyni) told me she has been waiting 7hrs to cross, she says border guards are stopping black people and sending them to the back of the queue, saying they have to let ‘Ukrainians’ through first,” Hegarty wrote.
“A student I just spoke with says it was Ukrainian soldiers, not Polish border guards telling him this,” sheadded in her Twitter thread. “Polish border force spokesperson told me Poland is allowing anyone who comes to the Ukraine border entry to Poland.”
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An African student, who managed to make it to the border, shared a similar account onTwitter: “Their Police and Army refused to let Africans cross they only allow Ukrainian.”
“Some have slept here for 2 days under this scorching cold weather, while many have gone back to Lviv,” the user added.
The student also posted a video that appears to show a guard at the border holding a gun and allegedly threatening to shoot.
Other African students have expressed fear and desperation on social media amid the ongoing crisis.
“As foreigners in the country, we do not know what will happen next but God will never leave us, not now.”
On Sunday, PresidentVladimir Putinput his nuclear forces on increased alert as tensions continued to escalate with the United States and Europe over the conflict,Associated Pressreports.
According toCNN, a Ukrainian delegation will meet with a Russian delegation on Monday at the Ukraine-Belarus border following assurances from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
source: people.com
