Liberians in Ukraine Cry for Help amid Russian invasion

For Liberian students in Ukraine, it is not just the war there that has made things difficult for them, but more so the silence of the Liberian government. 

The silence of the government, according to some of the Liberian students who have managed to leave Ukraine to cross over to Poland or  Romania, has left them frustrated and feeling neglected by their government.

So far, the only response from the Liberian government on the crisis has been to condemn the invasion, while calling on Russia to unconditionally cease hostilities, de-scale, and allow diplomacy and dialogue to take their course.  While Nigeria and other African nationals in Ukraine remain calm and vigilant for their personal security and safety, this is not the case with Liberia whose government is yet to say anything public about the affairs of its people. 

“Obviously, we see it as neglect, especially in these trying times. This situation should be treated as an emergency,” said a statement from a group of Liberian students who requested anonymity. “Our lives were at risk. Fleeing from your temporary residence because of war, we the students were at so many risks like starvation, rape, death, etc. Yet our government did not see this as an emergency and till now, there has been no action from the government to help us.“

They added that “At this point, there are still numbers of students stuck at various border points that haven’t had a meal for days now and have been sleeping in the open, outside those borders in the winter season. We are fortunate to be in Romania now, but lots of our compatriots are stranded across Ukraine and finding a hard time.

Ukraine, which is now in crisis due to Russia’s invasion, emerged as a choice destination for African students, especially those in medicine-related fields because it is cheaper compared to elsewhere in Europe, and the United States. 

During the Cold War era, students of African descent were given scholarships to study in different states across the Soviet Union as the communist enclave sought to increase its soft power in Africa. Ahead of Russia’s invasion four days ago, when European and Asian countries were urging their citizens to leave Ukraine, no African countries issued such an alert for their citizens in that troubled country. Even after the invasion, no African country has announced concrete plans for the evacuation of its citizens.

‘’Many of the African governments do not simply have a sense of responsibility to their citizens,’’ Ibrahim Anoba, a fellow at US-based Center for African Prosperity at the Atlas Network, told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the Liberian students claimed that, from the onset of the crisis, they contacted Ambassador Isaac Nyenabo, who referred them to the consulates of the Liberian Embassy in Germany and that of the Liberian Embassy in Italy, by sharing their WhatsApp numbers.

According to the students, when they reached out, they only got a response that acknowledged receipt of the communication and were devastated to be told that the embassies cannot act “on their own instructions, as they take direct instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“They instructed us to do an official communication to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which we did,” the students added. “The Minister’s office responded in just one word till this date: ‘acknowledged.’ These are trying times for Liberian students in Ukraine. The past few weeks have been very difficult and frustrating for Liberian students in Ukraine. "

Efforts to contact Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, did not materialize. A call placed to his mobile phone by our editor was answered, but the person who answered, who sounded like Kemayah, said he was “in a meeting”. Our editor managed to inject the question about the stranded Liberian students. The person on Kemayah’s phone only responded, saying, “he’s in a meeting”.

According to the stranded students, “Liberian students have also been marginalized at some border points where they went to seek refuge only because we are not properly represented by our various embassies. Other students of other nationalities are getting preferential treatment over us Liberians.

Even though some Liberians are now out of Ukraine,  the fate of us who still remain stranded at various border points remains unclear, and nobody knows what comes next. The only option, according to them, is to continue to express grievances, while crying of neglect and finding their way in a messy situation.

The situation, according to Karishma Pelham Raad, is serious for Liberian students, and it is important that the government does all it can to help its stranded citizens now. 

“With God, currently, most of the students were about to cross over safely but even with that, we still have students that are stuck at the Poland border due to the high traffic of humans at the Poland border.  Our students are sleeping in the cold and don’t even have food to eat. We also still have some students stranded in Ukraine who don’t want to leave the city of Ukraine,” Ms. Raad disclosed. We are calling on all student bodies, the government, and student organizations to help in this situation.  We need to raise funds to help with accommodation, feeding, and air tickets for those who want to come home.”

Meanwhile, the stranded Liberian students lamented that the invasion of Ukraine is heartbreaking, as some of them were nearing completion of their studies. Now, given the uncertainty, “we are not sure when we are going to resume school.”

“From the invasion of our second home, where we came in pursuit of knowledge to the disruption of our educational process. This is heartbreaking and frustrating, not only on the part of us, students, but also for our parents and sponsors who have sacrificed a lot to get us this far.”

Meanwhile, as the war in Ukraine continues, the country’s military says Sunday was a “difficult time” for its troops and that Russian forces “continue shelling in almost all directions.”

At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian nuclear deterrent forces put on high alert in a dramatic escalation of tensions with the West over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin said on Sunday that leading NATO powers had made “aggressive statements” while imposing hard-hitting financial sanctions against Russia and himself.

Also, Ukrainian forces have full control of Kharkiv, the regional governor says, after fighting Russian troops in the streets of the country’s second-largest city. At a meeting with his top officials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered his defense minister and the chief of the military’s general staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty”.

The order raises the threat that the tensions could lead to the use of nuclear weapons. “Control over Kharkiv is completely ours! The armed forces, the police, and the defense forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy,” Oleh Sinegubov wrote on Facebook on Sunday afternoon, as Russia stepped up its four-day military advance.

Earlier, Sinegubov had said “the Russian enemy’s light vehicles broke into the city of Kharkiv” and called on residents not to leave shelters. Videos posted on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and a light vehicle burning on the street.