Blacks Face Discrimination In Ukraine As Kenya Devises New Way Of Saving Its People

The heated Russia and Ukraine war has left most of the people stranded with limited options but to pay the price that comes with it. Most countries all over the world have made attempts through their embassies to evacuate their citizens from Ukraine following the ongoing lethal war.

Kenyan citizens are also part of the people who are stacked in Ukraine majority being students who went for further studies.

Kenyan government has asked its citizens who are willing to leave Ukraine to do so by the Ministry of Affairs through its mission in Vienna.

According to the cabinet secretary for Foreign Affairs, all Kenyans are safe, however, some of them are stuck at the border points, particularly with Poland because the roads are bogged down with vehicle traffic.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in touch with all the neighbouring countries of Ukraine within the EU to seek their accommodation, and to allow Kenyans to transit through their countries should they wish to return home,” the Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary will now allow Kenyans without visas but with Kenyan, travel documents to cross their borders while on transit, provided they have valid air tickets.

Elsewhere despite the Nigerian government evacuating 256 people from Ukraine over 4,000 Nigerian citizens are still stranded in Ukraine and their attempts to leave have not been successful. some reports record that Ukrainian police and security personnel are refusing to let Nigerians board buses and trains to Poland," said Garba Shehu [Nigerian presidential spokesperson.]

A video that circulated on Social media over the weekend, showed some Nigerian students sharing their plight. Mr Shehu said there were claims that Polish officials had refused Nigerian nationals entry to Poland. "It is important that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour," he stressed. Poland's ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska, rejected accusations of racism. "Everyone receives equal treatment. I can assure you that, according to the information I have, some Nigerian nationals have already crossed the border to Poland," she told local media. According to Ms Tarnawska, invalid identity documents are accepted for crossing the border and Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. Nigerians have 15 days to leave the country afterwards, she added. The Ukrainian embassy in Nigeria was not immediately available. Since the start of the Russian offensive, about 400,000 Ukrainians have entered the European Union, according to an AFP count.

The situation does not apply to only Nigerians. There are reports that Scores of African migrants in Ukraine are being blocked from fleeing to safety. Black people living in the region say they have been left to languish, with some taking to Twitter in recent days to share accounts of abandonment.