Yemeni students recount long journey to flee Ukraine

By Mohammed Alragawi
ISTANBUL (AA) – It took Ahmed Ali 18 hours to cross Ukraine’s border into Poland in a tiring journey to flee the Russian war on the European country.

The Yemeni student said Ukrainian authorities stop vehicles carrying refugees tens of kilometers away from the border gates and ask travelers to cross the border on foot.

“The situation at Ukrainian border gates with Poland is unimaginably tense and overcrowded,” Ali told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

“We had to walk for 20-30 km to reach a gas station that was extremely crowded. There were people of all nationalities except Ukrainians.”

Ali said refugees had to wait for 14 hours before being allowed to walk for another 5-6 km to reach the border gate. “There, we waited in long queues for another 16 hours at the gates before being allowed through Polish border,” he added.

There are no official estimates on the number of Yemeni nationals in Ukraine.

Last week, Yemeni authorities said they had evacuated 18 nationals from Ukraine through Poland, while four others were evacuated through Romania.

Tiring journey
Ali said he had to wait 18 hours to get the entry stamp into Poland.

“I was the first to cross, but my friends stayed behind and queued for another 17 hours,” he said. “It was a very arduous and exhausting journey, both physically and mentally.”

The Yemeni student, however, said “A complete opposite of that treatment was in Poland, where we and other refugees were treated with respect and appreciation.”

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, around 1.5 million refugees fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine.

Yemeni Consul in Warsaw Khaled Alkathery said the Yemeni Embassy in the Polish capital had facilitated the entry of 30 Yemeni students into the country.

He, however, recognized that many others had entered the country without informing the embassy.

“There were no children among the evacuees,” he said, adding that seven Yemeni girls were among those evacuated from Ukraine.

The Yemeni diplomat praised Polish cooperation with the embassy to facilitate procedures for Yemeni evacuees from Ukraine.

“Some students contacted us while they were in shelters, and we assured them of the importance of staying in shelters and safe places until safe passages are provided for civilians,” he said.

Alkathery said priority is given at Ukraine’s 12 crossing points with Poland to Ukrainian nationals, children and women.
“No NGOs or diplomats are allowed to reach the other side of the border,” he added.

Racism
Ibrahim Saleh, a 24-year-old student, complained of racism and discrimination at Ukrainian border.

“There were some discriminatory acts. Ukrainians were passing in front of us easily in comfortable buses, eating and drinking, while we were in the cold without food or drinks,” he said.

As hundreds of refugees found themselves stuck in Ukraine, a small group of Yemeni and foreign volunteers in Poland began working to help Yemeni students seeking to flee Ukraine.

Azal AlSalafi, a lead organizer of the campaign, said volunteers have located more than 150 Yemeni students in Ukraine and helped many of them to cross into Poland and Hungary.

He said volunteers provided housing for 89 students in Poland and other EU countries using their personal money.

AlSalafi said two Yemeni students and one Egyptian in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine were hospitalized after being brutally beaten up by a Ukrainian border guard at the Medyka exit.

“They are out now and safe, but the level of racism and violence against minorities and Yemenis in Ukraine is heartbreaking,” she said.