In a joint statement, Senegal’s President Macky Sall and Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union (AU) Commission, said it was unacceptable for Africans to be treated differently in Ukraine calling it racism.

“Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and a breach in international law,” the statement said.

The AU was reacting to reports that Africans fleeing war-ravaged Ukraine were discriminated against while crossing into Poland for safety.

According to the statement, all people have the right to cross international borders during conflict and should enjoy the same right to travel to safety in Ukraine, notwithstanding their nationality or racial identity.

Thousands of African and other foreign nationals, particularly students, have been scrambling to leave Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

However, as thousands throng Ukraine’s borders, overwhelming authorities in neighbouring countries, reports have emerged that Africans were discriminated against and sometimes prevented from leaving.

(Reuters/NAN)