Are African expatriates fleeing Ukraine treated differently from other refugees?

For the past few days, videos have shown African expatriates in Ukraine trying to flee the war, but being sorted or refused at the borders. Some refugees have denounced racist treatment, in the midst of war, arousing indignation. Ukrainian border guards deny any favoritism in the treatment of refugees. Their spokesperson assures France24 that some people have been turned away because they were trying to get priority.

The “True or Fake” teams contacted Ali Turay, originally from Sierra Leone. The worker fled Odessa, Ukraine, where he lived with his Ukrainian wife and their children. At the Medyka checkpoint, on the border with Poland, he filmed a video showing that he was blocked. Like Ali, dozens of testimonies mention difficulties in getting through, and different treatment from other refugees for Africans. “Ukrainians have the right to take the bus, they are well seated, but we are walking”reports Axel Ebalanke, a Congolese student.

The ambassadors of several African countries have mobilized to recover their citizens on the Polish side. Poland accepts all identity cards and passports, even expired, in the context of the war