German Embassy in Nairobi has condemned the recent reports of discrimination of Africans in the ongoing evacuation from Ukraine since Russia launched a military incursion against the Eastern European state.
The statement comes in the wake of reports of alleged racist treatment of Africans in different border areas as they seek to escape the ongoing conflict. The Embassy said that Africans fleeing Ukraine have already arrived in Germany and are being provided with support adding that they take the racism reports seriously.
“On reports of Kenyan and African students and nationals caught up in the ongoing Russian attacks on the Ukraine having difficulties accessing EU territory at our borders we want to add to the discussion. We take these reports very seriously. Every case is one too many. We strongly condemn any type of discrimination, no matter by whom or under which circumstance,”
They further noted that racial discrimination is not the policy of EU or its member states pointing out that all the member states work together on “quick and pragmatic solutions” for every individual fleeing the violence in Ukraine. The Embassy acknowledges that the reports are isolated and does not reflect the values of the EU member states.
“To our knowledge, these incidents are individual ones in an ongoing dramatic humanitarian crisis of the Russian President Putin’s making,”
Echoing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock who spoke at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York the embassy said that “every refugee must receive protection, no matter what their nationality, their origin or the color of their skin.”
They called on Kenyans to verify any kind of information before reposting it pointing out that it will play a key role in getting rid of disinformation in the ongoing crises.
On February 28, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, issued a statement pointing out that they were “disturbed by reports that African citizens on the Ukrainian side of the border are being refused the right to cross the border to safety.”
The two Chairpersons noted that all people have the right to cross international borders during conflict, and should enjoy the same rights to cross to safety from the conflict in Ukraine, “notwithstanding their nationality or racial identity,”
Edited By: Chepkosgei Jedidah