“It’s a very, very troublesome state of affairs however for my pal,” in line with Chizzy, a 23 year-old Nigerian who not not way back was finding out economics within the Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv. He spoke to DW on Might 18 — very pissed off and never wanting us to make use of his actual identify for saftey causes.
Chizzy’s new pal is a German girl he met on the streets of Berlin when he was homeless after fleeing Ukraine following Russia’s bombing of his college in March. She took him in to assist him.
“She’s a mom to me; she cares about me and harbors me. I do not know how you can thank her sufficient,” he instructed DW every week later, this time with a face stuffed with smiles.
Equal in struggling, unequal in ache
No fewer than 80,000 college students who’re enrolled in Ukrainian universities are from the International South and lots of of these are from African international locations.
That they had a life in Ukraine till February 24 when Russia invaded and a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals — Ukrainians and foreigners — fled to different international locations for security.
Although everybody who fled the warfare suffered equally, unequal remedies had been doled out at border crossings.
Some mentioned that Ukrainian border guards prioritized Ukrainians and despatched others, akin to folks from African international locations, to the again of the queues, a few of which stretched for kilometers.
Others reported discrimination within the international locations to which they fled.
One in every of these international locations is Germany.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing navy motion in Ukraine have headed in direction of EU member states akin to Germany
Good instances by no means final
Life in Ukraine was okay for Chizzy earlier than the warfare. He lived in college lodging and had built-in properly — till the early hours of February 24 when he and his fellow college students had been woken by the unmistakable sound of bombs exploding.
“Earlier than we might come down from our rooms, we found many individuals had left and others had been discovering a approach to enter bunkers to be protected,” Chizzy remembered.
“That is how we joined them and thought that in every week’s time, all the pieces will settle down.”
However nothing modified for the higher.
Quite, Chizzy recalled a chilling incident that occurred when he went to gather a doc from his college authority.
“In my college, I witnessed a dwell bomb explosion,” he instructed DW.
“When the bomb exploded, the varsity administration took a few of us that had been on the workplace to the underground bunkers for us to be protected. After that day, I left Ukraine. I wanted to seek out my manner earlier than this folks will block the doorway I am purported to observe to go away.”
College college students, together with 1000’s from Nigeria, have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion
Chizzy spent 5 very troublesome days fleeing Ukraine, touring by means of Slovakia and to Germany. Border authorities made it troublesome for foreigners to go away the nation.
“Due to the way in which we struggled and instructed them we won’t keep; no one is aware of what’s going to occur as a result of it is not solely authorities house that Russians are attacking, they’re additionally attacking personal buildings, no one is aware of the subsequent it might be,” Chizzy defined.
“So, after some consideration, they now allowed us to go.”
Inhumanity
The one manner a traveler can cross the Slovakia border seamlessly and fairly stress-free is on board a nonstop prepare.
However the Ukrainians on the prepare observed that Chizzy and different college students — fleeing the warfare identical to them — weren’t Ukrainians.
When the prepare arrived on the Slovakian border, Chizzy and the non-Ukrainian college students had been instructed that it was the ultimate vacation spot and the prepare was not going any additional.
“After we got here down, they continued the journey which is the best approach to go the border with none disturbance. If you happen to come down, you’ll spend some days earlier than the immigration can take heed to you earlier than you possibly can go,” he instructed DW.
Chizzy and lots of others college students stayed on the Slovakian prepare station for 3 days consuming solely biscuits and water as a result of that they had no cash to purchase meals.
“We talk about for therefore lengthy; earlier than we all know it, it could be one other day. If you’re drained, you sleep on high of your bag,” he instructed DW.
Nobody had taken a bathe or bathtub throughout the three days spent on the prepare station.
The Slovakian immigration authorities then allowed them to start an 8-hour journey to Hungary the place they spent one other night time at a prepare station earlier than leaving for Germany the subsequent day.
Africans fleeing Ukraine have spent hours standing in crowded trains on worrying journeys to security
Actuality hits
“I haven’t got anyone right here in Germany or any relations. I simply got here to Germany in order that the German authorities will assist me to be protected and for me to proceed my schooling right here,” Chizzy instructed DW.
However the actuality was the other of that he had anticipated.
He and others who fled Ukraine reported to a Berlin reception heart for folks looking for safety. They had been saved in a corridor for a month. Solely Ukrainians had been chosen for onward sorting and integration.
“We stayed like a month in that camp. No communication, nothing. No additional registration. So, a few of us began complaining that we do not know our destiny right here; no one to take care of us, simply that we had been being given meals to eat. As soon as it is time to eat, you go and take your meals. However different course of, no one was attending to us,” Chizzy mentioned.
Many Africans who fled Ukraine now dwell in refugee camps throughout numerous European cities
After a month, an announcement was made strictly for Ukrainians: They had been positioned in a bus and transferred to different cities.
Chizzy and different non-Ukrainians had been later moved to Munich the place he spent a month doing nothing.
“After some weeks after registering locally, they introduced us a letter that we must always return to our international locations that we aren’t Ukrainians,” he mentioned. “We contacted the German household we had been dwelling with, so that they went by means of the letter and mentioned it’s not correct; that it’s a menace letter, that we should not panic concerning the letter.”
However extra such letters arrived.
“They introduced us one other letter that [there would be] no extra social advantages [because] we aren’t Ukrainians,” Chizzy instructed DW, sounding actually upset.
“The folks I used to be staying with had been bored with it — they acquired offended that the federal government could be very worrying and it’s totally robust for them. So, they suggested me that if I can go to different states that their authorities is completely different. That’s the reason I left Munich to Berlin.”
Chizzy instructed DW there have been by no means any advantages as a result of the individuals who assisted him in Munich had been a German household who supplied him with a room and fed him.
Berlin protest
Teams of refugees, together with representatives from Berlin’s refugee council and different NGOs held a protest on Might 17 within the German capital in entrance of the Bundesrat, demanding equal rights for third-country nationals fleeing Ukraine, in addition to different refugees.
The refugee council’s web site states that fleeing Ukrainians obtain fast and unbureaucratic entry to residence permits, work permits and social advantages in Germany.
However many third-country nationals with out Ukrainian citizenship — who could have lived for years in Ukraine — are excluded from the correct to short-term safety as warfare displaced individuals.
The protesters mentioned they need equal remedy for everyone fleeing Ukraine, together with those that don’t maintain Ukrainian citizenship.
Many college students fleeing Ukraine spent days consuming solely biscuits and water and sleeping on their luggage
Claims of racism
“This protest was to lift once more consciousness for these points. On this explicit battle, you possibly can see once more the discrimination and completely different remedies of various refugees relying on passport,” Julianne Gebel, co-founder of NGO Internationals from Ukraine and Pals, instructed DW.
“This warfare has proven that the remedy of refugees may be completely different and be higher than what they’ve confronted within the current years in Germany,” Gebel continued.
“Quick access to work, to education, to housing, universities and all of that’s actually doable for Ukrainian residents and that is the type of remedy that refugees ought to all the time obtain however sadly, not all of them are,” Gebel mentioned
“So, we had been demanding that these remedies [are] expanded to different refugees from different backgrounds, different international locations as properly.”
Tobore Ovuorie — a a number of award-winning investigative journalist and storyteller — is the 2021 Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award recipient.
Edited by Keith Walker