Alexander Somto Orah (25), a Nigerian student from Ukraine, made the easy decision to step into the gap. He described xenophobiaand threatened violence as he approached Poland’s border shortly after Russia invaded.
Orah stated that Ukrainian border guards “separated Africans and Indians from the rest of the population and directed us to Romanian borders” hundreds of miles away. “They threatened to shoot us if we tried to push our way through,” Orah said.
After days of freezing temperatures, the group of young foreigners became united in fear and outrage. Orah stated, “We raised our arms and said that we were students and wanted to go home.” They were eventually allowed to cross.
He has been back to the border numerous times since he reached Warsaw, Poland’s capital.
According to the International Organization for Migration, almost 80,000 foreign nationals from 138 countries fled their homelands on Friday.
Some people have claimed that they were denied access to transport, bomb shelters, and consulates in their countries of origin in neighbouring countries. Tendayi Achiume (the U.N. special raporteur on contemporary forms racism), said Thursday that the racist and xenophobic treatment was “life-threatening”.
These experiences have shaped the grassroots effort to help others leave.
Ojonugwa Zakari (21), a Nigerian medical student, stated that she and hundreds other foreigners are still stuck in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine. Their phones ring with tips for escape as they awake to the sound and vibrations of shelling. Guides on how to get emergency supplies and what documents you should bring to checkpoints
Zakari, who has never been in war, stated that “basically, the basic advice” was his war advice.
She said, “It doesn’t matter where people are from. People just want to ensure that you, if you are a foreigner living in Ukraine, have safety.
The allegations of discrimination against fleeing foreigners in Ukraine have been addressed by the government of Ukraine. This was amid sharp comments from the African Union continental body which called dissimilar treatment of Africans “shockingly racism” and in violation of international law.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, tweeted Wednesday that “Africans who are seeking evacuation are our friends” and that they should have equal chances to return home safely. Later, he shared via Twitter the number of hotlines that were established to assist students from Africa and Asia who are wishing to evacuate.
The phone number was retweeted over 21,000 times in less than 12 hours. However, the hotline was still unanswered the next day.
Other official declarations of aid, even from home countries of foreigners, also felt distant.
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Zimbabwe’s government advised its citizens to contact the German embassy. The Kenyan government suggested that its embassy be established in Austria, which is also far from the conflict.
Some countries have made deals with Ukraine’s neighbours to allow their citizens to enter. Others are working to evacuate those who cannot make it. The death of an Indian student during Russian shelling in Kharkiv (Ukraine’s second-largest) has created a new urgency.
Students and others who are worried have started WhatsApp and Telegram messaging group for Africans, Brazilians, and other large populations trying to flee. Some platforms provide financial and mental health support.
Faith Chemari stated that she has assisted over 50 students from Zimbabwe by coordinating their bus travel to Poland.
She explained that she was placing students in groups with the boys leaving first to provide feedback to the other students about safety.
A global community has formed to welcome the country’s displaced citizens along Ukraine’s borders. Other people in Ukraine help travelers get to their next destination. Elxan Salmanov Ilham, a 28 year old student from Azerbaijan, said that Odesa was home to them and helped them get to the Moldova border.
Some locals from Ukraine’s neighbouring countries are joining the effort as support grows.
Sanusi Salihu, a Nigerian student, needed shelter and food after spending the night at Lviv’s train station. Both were provided by a Slovakian resident that he had met just a few minutes after he arrived in Slovakia.
Salihu stated, “We are seven in the house.” Salihu said that he took seven of us out to lunch and it was very nice.
Salihu also does his best from his safety position, messaging foreigners who are still in Ukraine.
