“Please, come for us” Ghanaian students stuck in Ukraine cries
Ghanaian students in Ukraine have called for Government evacuation in immediate safety as Russia-Ukraine tension soars following the full-scale invasion.
Russia-Ukraine tension has soared after Russia launched its first full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Russia President Vladimir Putin had ever said his country has no plans to invade neighboring country Ukraine but Thursday’s development may sound otherwise.
Parts of Ukraine, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa have been attacked by a reported Putin ‘specialized military operation’ after explosions heard in those cities on Thursday.
The aftermath of the attack which the United States sees as a full-scale invasion of Ukraine has increased fears across Ukraine.
Countries have already made plans to evacuate their citizens with the UK allowing embassy staff and diplomats’ families to leave Ukraine in January.
After early Thursday’s invasion, the Ghanaian Government has learned the need for swift measures to provide immediate safety for its citizens in Ukraine and Russia.
It’s unclear the segregation of workforce in those two tense countries but students who have traveled for academic and professional purposes are among the first segregationists to call on Government to evacuate them from Ukraine.
A report in Ghana News agency Joy News suggests that Ghanaian students in Ukraine have made a passionate appeal to Akufo-Addo’s government to provide them with urgent evacuation arrangements hours after the unsurprising attack on Ukraine.
The full-scale invasion fears have mounted not only on Ghanaian students but a broad range of students from other countries like Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Egypt, Sweden, and France, according to on-the-ground information.
One of the Ghanaian students, Joseph, a medical student, told Joy News on Thursday that foreign students in the Russia-Ukraine region are living in fear over the recent Russian invasion.
He said they have to rely on their Ukrainian counterparts for information about the happenings.
“The situation here is very bad, we are all confused. Last night when I was learning I heard the first explosion, it was as if it was at the back of our hostel and we all are living in fear,” he said on the Super Morning Show.
“As of now, we are all in the rooms, but they are saying if you don’t have a shelter you should move to the underground. If God touches the heart of our government and they evacuate us, we will be very happy,” he said.
To compound their woes, he said students are saddled with the burden of having to look for food as there is a food shortage due to the events.
“Currently I have two bottles of water and four biscuits which I went out this morning to get. When I got to the shop, it was very full and there were only a few bottles of water. I wanted to buy bread but they [people] have bought all the bread from the shop, I was so shocked,” he said.
Government’s responds
Meanwhile, the Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it is gravely concerned about the security and safety of Ghanaians living in Ukraine following reports of tensions and violent clashes.
According to the Ministry, the government has in the meantime asked over 1,000 students and other Ghanaians (in other segregation of workforce) to seek help at government places of shelter.
This is to ensure their safety temporarily as government “engages the authorities, our relevant diplomatic missions and our honorary consul on further measures.”
The government’s statement comes at a time when the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called for the immediate evacuation of Ghanaian students from the Ukraine-Russia region.
“As the conflict escalates within the region, governments of countries across the world are prioritizing the evacuation of their citizens from the area, to forestall harm to their citizens. Currently, several students have fled the region, showing growing insecurity and fear among our students.
Some of those students including Chapter Executives of NUGS in Ukraine have touched down and made contact with the National Secretariat of NUGS, advising that urgent steps be taken to ensure the safety of their colleagues still in the region. As the mother body of Ghanaian students, the safety of our students remains our paramount concern, hence our advocacy for this line of action”, NUGS said in its statement.
