• About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Indie Author Event
Advertisement
  • Home
    • Home – Layout 1
    • Home – Layout 2
    • Home – Layout 3
    • Home – Layout 4
    • Home – Layout 5
    • Home – Layout 6
  • News
    • All
    • Business
    • Politics
    • Science
    • World

    UK’s gender battle prompts talk of independence in Scotland | Politics News

    Norway arrests ex-Wagner fighter who escaped from Russia | Russia-Ukraine war News

    Russia claims the capture of a village near Ukraine’s Bakhmut | Russia-Ukraine war News

    Germany appoints defense chief in time for key Ukraine meeting | Russia-Ukraine war News

    China reports nearly 60,000 COVID-related deaths in past month | Coronavirus pandemic News

    Why does ‘Putin’s chef’ want Ukraine’s Soledar so badly? | Russia-Ukraine war News

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Tech
    • All
    • Apps
    • Gadget
    • Mobile
    • Startup

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    These Are the 5 Big Tech Stories to Watch in 2017

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports

    The five most (in)famous World Cup penalty goals | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

    Determined Costa Rica pull off surprise win against Japan | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

    ‘Say her name, Mahsa Amini’: Iran protests come at World Cup | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

    India on course for potential T20 World Cup final against Pakistan | Cricket News

    Champions League line-up: Benfica top squad ahead of PSG | News

    Argentinian artist creates giant mural of soccer icon Maradona | World Cup news

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

    Shooting More than 40 Years of New York’s Halloween Parade

    Heroes of the Storm Global Championship 2017 starts tomorrow, here’s what you need to know

    Why Millennials Need to Save Twice as Much as Boomers Did

    Doctors take inspiration from online dating to build organ transplant AI

    How couples can solve lighting disagreements for good

    Ducati launch: Lorenzo and Dovizioso’s Desmosedici

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Game of Thrones
    • MotoGP 2017
    • eSports
    • Fashion Week
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • Home – Layout 1
    • Home – Layout 2
    • Home – Layout 3
    • Home – Layout 4
    • Home – Layout 5
    • Home – Layout 6
  • News
    • All
    • Business
    • Politics
    • Science
    • World

    UK’s gender battle prompts talk of independence in Scotland | Politics News

    Norway arrests ex-Wagner fighter who escaped from Russia | Russia-Ukraine war News

    Russia claims the capture of a village near Ukraine’s Bakhmut | Russia-Ukraine war News

    Germany appoints defense chief in time for key Ukraine meeting | Russia-Ukraine war News

    China reports nearly 60,000 COVID-related deaths in past month | Coronavirus pandemic News

    Why does ‘Putin’s chef’ want Ukraine’s Soledar so badly? | Russia-Ukraine war News

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Tech
    • All
    • Apps
    • Gadget
    • Mobile
    • Startup

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    These Are the 5 Big Tech Stories to Watch in 2017

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports

    The five most (in)famous World Cup penalty goals | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

    Determined Costa Rica pull off surprise win against Japan | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

    ‘Say her name, Mahsa Amini’: Iran protests come at World Cup | Qatar World Cup 2022 News

    India on course for potential T20 World Cup final against Pakistan | Cricket News

    Champions League line-up: Benfica top squad ahead of PSG | News

    Argentinian artist creates giant mural of soccer icon Maradona | World Cup news

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

    Shooting More than 40 Years of New York’s Halloween Parade

    Heroes of the Storm Global Championship 2017 starts tomorrow, here’s what you need to know

    Why Millennials Need to Save Twice as Much as Boomers Did

    Doctors take inspiration from online dating to build organ transplant AI

    How couples can solve lighting disagreements for good

    Ducati launch: Lorenzo and Dovizioso’s Desmosedici

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Game of Thrones
    • MotoGP 2017
    • eSports
    • Fashion Week
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
Indie Author Event
No Result
View All Result
Home World News

‘There’s Poland, now walk’: Arab students’ ordeal out of Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine was News

admin by admin
March 5, 2022
in World News
0
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: List of key events from day 10 |  Russia-Ukraine was News
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


When Amani al-Attar left Dnipro in southeast Ukraine on the second day of the Russian invasion, she thought it would be a matter of hours before she crossed into the safety of neighboring Poland.

Instead, the 25-year-old Moroccan student described a harrowing, days-long journey that was riddled with discrimination from Ukrainian soldiers, military volunteers, and ordinary citizens along the way.

More than a million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency. Thousands of Arab nationals, mostly students based in Ukraine, have sought refuge in Poland as their governments scramble to evacuate them.

Al-Attar and a group of nine friends – all Arab students at the University of Dnipro – each paid $ 150 to a bus driver who promised to take them to the Polish border.

The nine-hour trip to Horodok, a small city just outside of Lviv in the west of Ukraine, was largely uneventful apart from frequent stops at army checkpoints.

But about 40km (18 miles) from Poland, everything changed.

Ukrainian army soldiers stopped their bus of 50-something foreign passengers and forced them to alight.

“They just pointed in a direction and said: ‘That’s where Poland is. Now walk, ”recounted al-Attar, adding the soldiers said foreigners would not be permitted to continue further in a vehicle.

“Then they packed our bus with Ukrainians, and it carried on to the border,” said the dental student.

Al-Attar and her friends were baffled but they had no choice but to continue on foot.

Along the way, an endless stream of vehicles filled with Ukrainians queued on the road to Poland. Cars were moving at a snail’s pace and so people opened their homes to fellow Ukrainians, Meryem Saber, also part of the group, told Al Jazeera by phone from Warsaw.

“They offered them [Ukrainians] food, water, and a place to rest, ”said the 21-year-old Moroccan pharmacy student. “But when they saw us, they’d just turn their faces.”

‘Pushed back’

“They [Ukrainians] kept coming from the comfort of their cars, while we were left shivering in -10 degrees Celsius. They had no qualms seeing us walk in the snow and through woods with our luggage. It was so unkind and condescending, ”al-Attar said as her voice shook.

After several hours of walking in sub-zero temperatures, the group of young students was cold, hungry, and exhausted. They approached a service station to buy food and use the toilet, but again they were “pushed back for not being Ukrainian”, said Saber.

“When we tried to queue, shop owners told us to wait until all Ukrainians had been served. When they were done, we found nothing but crisps on the shelves, ”said Saber.

INTERACTIVE Russia-Ukraine map Who controls what in Ukraine DAY 10 map

Hours later, they were 6km (2.7 miles) from the border. At that point, they were rounded up by Ukrainian soldiers along with thousands of other Arabs, Indians, and Africans trying to flee the war.

“The soldiers and volunteers drove rectangles on the asphalt and lined us up inside them,” said al-Attar. “Anyone who moved out of line was beaten with a baton or the butt of a rifle.

“When we asked to use the toilets at a service station meters away, the soldiers refused, telling us to help ourselves in the woods. When we complained about the freezing cold, they laughed and recommended we dance to keep warm. The only thing that kept us going was that we did not want to die. ”

After being moved between three campsites and left to wait for 12 hours, the group was finally allowed to proceed, only to find another endless queue.

It was now three days since the group had left Dnipro. Their final obstacle was to walk a few kilometers to the Polish border police. While that final step took Ukrainians about 20 minutes to complete, the women said it took some as long as several days.

“The army differentiated between people depending on their skin color and gender,” said al-Attar. “Women were allowed to proceed within hours, while men could wait for four or five days.

“Also, the darker your skin the worse and longer the wait,” al-Attar told Al Jazeera, adding Blacks and Asians were beaten and sent to the back of the queues.

“At this point, people were splayed on the ground with hypothermia. Others were collapsing from exhaustion. But that was just us Arabs, Blacks and Asians. Ukrainians got through in minutes, ”she said.

‘Priority to Ukrainians’

Al-Attar and Saber eventually found respite in Poland. The male members of their group took several more days to cross the border. One man made it across in an ambulance after he collapsed, while the last person crossed after five days of waiting.

Both women said the reason for their plight was an unofficial daily quota by neighboring states on the number of refugees allowed to cross from Ukraine.

“That’s why the soldiers gave priority to Ukrainians and did everything to hold us back,” said Saber.

It was not possible for Al Jazeera to confirm their claims.

Speaking from the warmth of her family home in Morocco, al-Attar said she hopes to one day overcome the trauma of her experience. But for now, “all I can say is the war showed us Ukrainians’ true colors.”

Follow Arwa Ibrahim on Twitter: arwaib





Source link

Previous Post

Russia-Ukraine war: Ceasefire attempt to evacuate civilians fails | Russia-Ukraine was News

Next Post

Analysis: Is Russia repeating mistakes of past wars in Ukraine? | Russia-Ukraine was

admin

admin

Next Post
Analysis: Is Russia repeating mistakes of past wars in Ukraine?  |  Russia-Ukraine was

Analysis: Is Russia repeating mistakes of past wars in Ukraine? | Russia-Ukraine was

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 23.7k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Ex-Man Utd star Giggs faces retrial in domestic violence case | News

September 7, 2022

FirstFT: California warns of power outages

September 7, 2022

Bamboo home in India overlooks an impressive farm

September 6, 2022

Queen Elizabeth is featured on various currencies – now what? | Explainer News

September 10, 2022
Top Trending Fashion Looks For 2017

Top Trending Fashion Looks For 2017

0
Top Trending Fashion Looks For 2017

List Of Best Android Mobile

0
Trending Gadget That Simply Change Your Lifestyle

Trending Gadget That Simply Change Your Lifestyle

0
Traveling With Friends Is Awesome

Traveling With Friends Is Awesome

0

UK’s gender battle prompts talk of independence in Scotland | Politics News

January 26, 2023

FirstFT: Trump Facebook ban lifted

January 26, 2023

Grow coconuts with dignity in the Philippines

January 25, 2023

Norway arrests ex-Wagner fighter who escaped from Russia | Russia-Ukraine war News

January 23, 2023

Recent News

UK’s gender battle prompts talk of independence in Scotland | Politics News

January 26, 2023

FirstFT: Trump Facebook ban lifted

January 26, 2023

Grow coconuts with dignity in the Philippines

January 25, 2023

Norway arrests ex-Wagner fighter who escaped from Russia | Russia-Ukraine war News

January 23, 2023

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • 2022 Election
  • 2022 Midterms
  • Apps
  • Business
  • Economics
  • Economy News
  • Election Update
  • Entertainment
  • Environment News
  • Fashion
  • Features
  • Food
  • Gadget
  • Gaming
  • Generic Ballot
  • Health
  • Healthcare News
  • Joe Biden
  • Lifestyle
  • Mobile
  • Movie
  • Music
  • News
  • Perspectives
  • Politics
  • Presidential Approval
  • Review
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Startup
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • World
  • World News

Recent News

UK’s gender battle prompts talk of independence in Scotland | Politics News

January 26, 2023

FirstFT: Trump Facebook ban lifted

January 26, 2023
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Copyright 2022 Indie Author Event. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result

Copyright 2022 Indie Author Event. All rights reserved.