Afrika Nå - What is next for the African students who fled Ukraine?

Afrika Nå

Ukraine was home to over 76 000 foreign students when Russia invaded Ukraine. Approximately a quarter of the foreign students in the country were from Africa, with the largest numbers coming from Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt. More than 10 000 African students have managed to flee the conflict since the beginning of the war, but only after facing racism and discrimination when trying to cross the borders. The situation is dire for the African refugees that managed to leave Ukraine and have not gone back to their home countries. EU’s temporary protection directive aimed at aiding displaced persons excludes the foreign students that were living in Ukraine. Many African students, and their families, have sacrificed a lot to study in Europe and the students now find themselves in a difficult situation where they must choose between returning home and completing their university studies. We want to discuss: what is the status for the African students who fled Ukraine in European countries? What kind of assistance have they been receiving? What needs to be done to ensure these refugees are also granted the same rights as Ukrainian refugees and to ensure that racialised people don’t meet the same type of discriminatory and racist treatment in a war situation again?