Ukraine ‘stops’ Africans crossing border

There is a huge outcry over the alleged ill-treatment of Africans at the Ukraine-Poland border by Ukrainian police and army as they flee the war.

The harassment of Africans was confirmed by both the South African government and Africa Facts Zone, Africa’s biggest fact-checker platform.

Department of international relations and cooperation spokesperson Clayson Monyela tweeted yesterday that SA students and other Africans have been badly treated at the Ukraine-Poland border. He said SA ambassador Nomvula Mngomezulu had driven from Warsaw, Poland’s capital, “to deal with the matter, receive our nationals and offer further support. Ambassador G Tsengiwe in Hungary is also attending to South Africans on his side”.

Africa Facts Zone claimed Ukrainian police and army were threatening to shoot Africans fleeing Ukraine and trying to cross the Poland border. “Several Africans have been stuck there for two days. Several of them have returned to Lviv, Ukraine,” it reported.

It posted footage of Africans being refused entry into a train taking people from Ukraine to Poland. “Africans were forced to wait for Ukrainians to go first in several trains, and had to wait until all Ukrainians had boarded trains before they were allowed to get into one,” it said.

Online website OpIndia.com reported that Indian students stranded at the Poland-Ukraine border had faced a similar problem earlier. “Indian students have not been allowed to cross the border and were told, ‘your government has not cooperated with us, why should we cooperate with you’?” Africa Facts Zone said.

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Concerned Africans Forum senior member Dr Essop Pahad lashed out at Ukraine for only stopping Africans – not citizens from other countries. “I don’t understand Ukraine’s decision to discriminate against Africans. If this is true, it’s completely out of order. If Africans want to cross the border to neighbouring countries out of fear for their lives they should not be stopped.

“Why stop Africans and not citizens from other countries? Under international law there should be humanitarian considerations, including ensuring everybody is safe from war. Ukraine should allow them to cross if they are looking for a safe place in another country,” he said.

While the government was flip-flopping in its stance on the war, the ANC condemned the West’s failure to start dialogue when the issue had been simmering for eight years. The party’s international relations subcommittee chair, Lindiwe Zulu, lashed out at the United Nations’ failure to react to the years of attacks against the citizens of the Donbas region in Ukraine that preceded the war.

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The party was referring to the alleged shelling of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine since 2014, after the Russian-speaking republics voted to be part of Russia in a referendum.

There were reports of genocide and other atrocities targeting residents, allegedly committed by neo-Nazist elements within the Ukrainian armed forces.

Russia reported concern about this and the expansion of Nato towards the east in breach of the post-World War II agreement, but no action was taken by the UN or the West.

– ericn@citizen.co.za