Trapped Africans drinking melted snow in Ukraine city

A woman from Western Africa cries while taking on the phone after fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion, at the border checkpoint in Medyka, Poland, February 28, 2022.   REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
A woman from Western Africa cries while taking on the phone after fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion, at the border checkpoint in Medyka, Poland, February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Nigerian, Ghanaian and Somali students are among hundreds of foreign nationals stuck in Ukraine's north-eastern city of Sumy which has been pummelled by Russian forces for days.

There is no food in the market, cashpoints are not working and the students are drinking melted snow after running out of water.

An Indian student, Vipin Yadav, who is part of the group trapped in the city, estimates about 1,300 foreign students are still trapped there - including people from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey.

Editor's Comment
Micro-procurement maze demands urgent reform

Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...

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