Ukraine crisis: Black and Indian students allege discrimination for border

Di BBC don hear reports from foreign pipo of colour wey say dem no allow de menta trains and dem hold dem for border while dem allow Ukrain pipo to pass first.

Tens of thousands of international students dey travel go Ukraine every year, most time to study medicine and engineering.

Some of dem dey struggle to cross border as dem dey try go home, while odas dey trapped for some cities as Russian forces attack.

Asya na medical student from Somali wey dey study for Kyiv.

Two days ago she post one video on Twitter as airstrikes hit di city.

She run wit her friends soon afta but bin no prepare for di long journey to Poland and spend three days witout any food or sleep before she reach Medyka border crossing on Sunday.

For six hours, she say, dem no allow Africans to enta, though she watch as buses of Ukrain women and children pass dem.

"We finally make am across and dem tell us say accommodation for di hotel na only for Ukrain pipo," she tok.

She make her way to Warsaw to find her own place to stay.

Ukrain pipo dey also fave big delay to comot from di kontri wit tori of 40km long lines of traffic for some border points.

But di situation dey particularly serious for black pipo and Indians, according to several international students wey speak to BBC.Africa and India students don report discrimination plus oda difficulties as dem dey try run from Ukraine.

Medical student Ruqqaya from Nigeria bin dey study for university for Kharkiv, for di east of di kontri, wen dem attack di city.

She bin no fit get transport all di way to di western border and so she waka for 11 hours overnight before she reach Medyka crossing on Saturday morning.

"Wen I come here black pipo bin dey sleep for street," she tell BBC.

She say di armed guards tell her to wait as Ukraine pipo have to pass first.

She watch as dem dey allow busload of pipo, wey dem describe as white, to pass through di border while dem select only few handful Africans from di queue.

Dem allow her to cross around 02:00 on Sunday morning and make her way to Warsaw to fly back to Nigeria.

Di Polish border force tell BBC say everyone wey dey run from di conflict for Ukraine dey welcomed yo enta Poland regardless of dia kontri.

BBC don try to contact di Ukrainian border force but neva receive any response.

Di UN say about 368,000 refugees don leave Ukraine since di Russian invasion begin on Thursday morning.

Polla Vishnu Vardhan Rao na medical student for Vinnytsia National Pirogov University for central Ukraine.

Im and some oda Indian students make di 12-hour car journey to Ukraine border crossing wit Romania.

For di border he say only Ukraine pipo, wey bin dey queue for separate line, bin dey allowed to cross.

Some angry gbas gbos happun between Ukrainian border guards as di Indian students become frustrated due to waiting.

India goment say dem dey setup control centres to assist Indian pipo through border crossing points wit Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

Nigeria and South Africa say dem don send officials go di border areas to help dia citizens to cross too.

One senior South Africa foreign office official, Clayson Monyela, tok for Twitter say "South African students and oda Africans dey badly treated for di Ukraine Poland border."

Isaac, wey also Nigerian, reach Medyka border for 04:30 in di morning on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon border staff tell am say dem "no dey attend to Africans". "Dem chase us back, police wit sticks don hit us wen we try to press and push forward.

Gbas gbos also happun between soldiers and di guys wey dey here dey wait," im tok.

Many of di students we spoke bin get low phone battery and e no clear yet if Isaac don successfully passed through. Im phone dey off.

Di BBC don also receive reports of discrimination against foreigners for train stations.

Osemen na Nigerian and try to enta train for Lviv to take am go Polish border.

He say dem tell am say na only Ukrain pipo dem go allow to enta.

Oda students don report similar experiences for di city, just like one young Nigerian woman for di eastern city of Dnipro.

She still dey struggle to get train but dey also try to arrange private transport wit one group of oda foreigners.

Some students dey stranded for Ukrainian cities and dem neva face di challenge of escaping from kontri wey dem no sabi, and language wey dem no sabi speak.

E get report say at least 15,000 Indian students dey stranded for Ukraine, including 4,000 for Kharkiv, wey currently dey under heavy bombardment.

One young woman send video give BBC of her shelter inside one basement with hundreds of oda students.

Dem wrap dem sef inside blanked and jam pack for floor like sardine.

She say dia food go soon finish and dem don beg Indian goment to help come carry dem comot.

For anoda place for Kharkiv, medical student Siddharth don take shelter wit im friends for one nearby metro station.

Many of dem delayed leaving, im tok, becos dem bin get exams coming up wey dem bin wan complete.

"From morning we don hear so many bombings. E get intense fight going on between Russia and Ukraine army," im tok. "Dem don seal Metros and shelters so no-one go fit enta and no-one go fit comot."