A total of 71 Rwandans have fled Ukraine to countries including Poland following the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Office of the Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda has told IGIHE that the majority of 85 Rwandans that lived in Ukraine were students and others employed partially to pursue studies.

These include 19 students pursuing Medicine courses, 16 studied Aerospace Engineering while others pursued studies in technology and economics among others.

The war continues to escalate in Sámi, Kharkiv, Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine.

At the onset of the war, Rwanda is among countries that rushed to support 85 nationals stuck in Ukraine through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Rwanda’s embassies in Berlin, Moscow and Warsaw.

Rwanda’s ambassador to Poland, Prof. Anastase Shyaka has revealed that some embassy’s officials spent a week waiting for Rwandans crossing from Ukraine to support them.

Prof. Shyaka went on to explain that there has been collaboration between different authorities and Rwandans living in Ukraine and others living in those countries including Poland.

“We made possible efforts to work together to support students living here and Rwandans in Ukraine, get updates on their situation and speak to parents in Rwanda. We kept in touch with them for successful collaboration. Rwandans in Ukraine also helped each other and exchanged information,” he told One Nation Radio.

The President of Rwandan Diaspora in Ukraine, Fred Mupenzi , (who fled to Belgium), said that they were mainly helped to cross the border.

“The other support was the discount on RwandAir tickets. We are thankful that they helped us a lot even though our desires cannot be satisfied at once,” he noted.

Prof. Shyaka also commended Rwandans for their perseverance amidst experienced hurdles while trying to cross Ukraine’s border.

“They told us how they survived bullets as they left Kharkiv, how they boarded trains and how they kept soldiering on despite experienced struggles […] no one walked alone,” he said.

“The way they endured difficult situations is commendable. They used to foot tens of kilometers, but remained strong despite the fact that they were not accustomed to doing it. They teamed up and helped each other along the way,” Prof. Shyaka added.

He revealed that more than 70 Rwandans have fled Ukraine to countries including Poland and Hungary.

“Current figures show that more than 70 Rwandans managed to cross the border. But it is apparent that the children were hit hard despite some individuals who seem to be strong,” he said.

“One of them is sick and admitted at a hospital. I saw the person who is still strong. Doctors told me that they will continue to take care of the patient but he will not be discharged before a number of weeks or months,” he said.

Prof. Shyaka said that there are Rwandans and other foreigners living in Sámi, in the north-east of Ukraine near the border with Russia where the fighting is intense. He explained that the area is far distant in 1000 kilometers away from the European Union border.

“Discussions are ongoing to seek how they can be evacuated from the war zone. We would like to assure parents that we are here for them. We are also parents concerned about their children’s situation. We continue to seek how to evacuate them,” he noted.

The Government of Poland recently announced that it will host refugees from Ukraine temporary for two weeks before moving to their motherlands or third countries.

Prof. Shyaka said that it is a challenging situation because people will no longer have rights to stay in Poland after 15 days.

Speaking to IGIHE recently, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Alain Mukuralinda said that collaboration with parents is ongoing so that the children can be helped to return home or move to third countries after 15 days.

“Parents and relatives should be aware that people reaching Poland will not stay there. They need to start thinking how they will leave the country and seek assistance in case they fail,” he said.
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