Sierra Leone Telegraph: 01 March 2022:
The current Chair of the African Union and President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat (Photo), are following closely the developments in Ukraine and are said to be particularly disturbed by reports that African citizens on the Ukrainian side of the border are being refused the right to cross the border to safety.
In a published statement, the two Chairpersons recalled that all people have the right to cross international borders during conflict, and as such, should enjoy the same rights to cross to safety from the conflict in Ukraine, notwithstanding their nationality or racial identity.
According to the statement, reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and in breach of international law. In this regard, The Chairpersons urge all countries to respect international law and show the same empathy and support to all people fleeing war notwithstanding their racial identity.
The Chairpersons commend the efforts by African Union Member State countries and their embassies in neighbouring countries to receive and orientate African citizens and their families trying to cross the border from Ukraine to safety.
Last Thursday, the African Union condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine and called for an “immediate ceasefire”, saying the situation risked escalating into “a planetary conflict”.
The bloc’s current chair, Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, said in a joint statement they were “extremely concerned” by the invasion. They called on Russia to “respect international law, the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine”.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, killing dozens as airstrikes hit military installations and ground forces moved in from the north, south and east.
The AU leaders said the “very serious and dangerous situation” should be resolved via “political negotiations” overseen by the United Nations.
The Nigerian government has condemned the treatment of thousands of its students and citizens fleeing the war in Ukraine, amid growing concerns that African students are facing discrimination by security officials and being denied entry into Poland. 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.
Mr Santhikie Sorie, as always, you tell it like it is. Yours is a very articulate take on why we black Africans are where we are and are what we are. Gift of foresight? Zero. Organizational ability? Zero. Emergency preparedness and responsiveness? Zero. Unwisdom laced with malleability? One hundred per cent. In short, responsible leadership? Zero. How very dispiriting.
And if we cannot take care of our own people, why blame others for looking after theirs only? See what India has done to evacuate its citizens before the unhinged and sanguinary Russian bigot and spymaster-turned-president, Vladimir Putin, in his mad quest for world supremacy, sends them to an early grave in a faraway land. That is responsible leadership for you.
Once the black African ,or anybody of African decent, who is black crosses any border into a country that is predominantly white or European they should brace themselves for the most monstrous form of racism. And it doesn’t stop there. Take a look at the Arab world. Nearly all of them have a population of people with a darker skin but they subdue them, they are kept firmly in the background. The pale Arab African is a part time African, being African only when it suits them, at other times they’re something else. Before launching the war of 1973 against Israel, then President Sadat of Egypt attended the OAU (now AU) conference in Adis Ababa to plead with the Continent to brake off diplomatic relations with Israel. He spoke as a one hundred percent African, and the continental leaders complied. Sierra Leone, under Siaka Stevens did not break ranks. The Israeli Ambassador (Modekai Lador) simply asked for protection until he, his family and staff left the country. When Sadat decided to reestablish diplomatic relations with Israel he never went back to the OAU for consultations as an African, he had become something else, he had used sub-saharan Africa for his purpose.
I have written all of the above to tell our leaders in so-called sub-saharan Africa, an invention of the powers that be, that the predicament being faced by black Africans in Ukraine shows their stupidity and lack of foresight. The moment other nations started evacuating their embassy staff and urging their people to leave, African countries should have done the same. If worse came to worst they should have pulled their resources together to charter planes to get their nationals out to the nearest African country. But no, they hire private jets, like our own Bio, to have a field day somewhere or go on an endless honeymoon. As Africans, we don’t know how to organise anything. This is the problem of Africa, our organising ability only comes in spasms with a few exceptions. One of these exceptions is Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
Does Nigeria or any other African country (black African) attempted to help evacuate Africans caught up in the conflict? I believe none. The India’s did for the people, they Chinese are doing it right now, the Moroccan were proactive and warn their citizens to leave but us in Black Africa, we will be busy wheezing and not do anything. Why would other races not threat us with racial discrimination when we do not take ourselves seriously.
Instead of complaining, the AU should put mechanism in place to help take out its citizens from that hell.
Ukrainians were accused of helping the RUF with weapons during our war. To discriminate against us at this time will not be a surprised to many of us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODMOzwI__zs
Based on this video from Al Jazeera – the problem is with the guards on both sides of the border. The Polish side and the Ukrainian side. The reporter said the Polish police were known for having problems with racism.