Ukraine situation

Transcript

00:00 The African Union has said it's disturbed by reports that Africans are being refused

00:05 the right to cross borders as they try to flee the conflict in Ukraine.

00:10 Hundreds of thousands of people have been scrambling to leave Ukraine following a Russian

00:14 invasion last week.

00:17 But reports have emerged that Africans, many in the Eastern European country for their

00:21 studies, are being treated differently and are sometimes prevented from leaving.

00:27 Several have shared videos and testimonies on social media denouncing discrimination

00:32 at train stations and border posts.

00:35 Reuters has not been able to authenticate the videos.

00:40 On Monday, a statement from the African Union said that "unacceptable, dissimilar treatment"

00:45 would be "shockingly racist" and "a breach of international law."

00:50 At Ukraine's border, Congolese student Pronson Gale is one of those who's made it to safety.

00:55 But he does say the reception he received in Poland was more difficult than his 350-mile

01:01 journey to get there from Ukraine's capital, Kiev.

01:05 "There was a bit of jostling and we were being shoved back and all that.

01:09 But things went well.

01:11 We managed, thank God."

01:14 Fellow student Eli Bomer says they were not offered shelter and forced to stay outside

01:19 in the cold.

01:21 The Polish border guard says almost 327,000 people have entered from Ukraine since the

01:27 start of what Russia calls a "special operation."

01:31 But not all refugees or locals speak English and some struggle to work out what is going

01:35 on.

01:37 On Tuesday, the UN's International Organization for Migration said it estimates there are

01:41 over 470,000 third-country nationals within Ukraine, many of them stranded.

01:48 A spokesperson said the IOM was appealing to Ukraine's neighbors to ensure that protection

01:54 and shelter and access to territory is provided to all.

01:59 And Gale and Bomer are among the lucky ones.

02:04 Authorities said they had been offered a shuttle van to Krakow, where they would be provided

02:08 shelter.

02:09 (laughter)