Seventeen Ghanaian students in troubled Ukraine yesterday arrived at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Ghana.
They are said to be the first batch of over 500 students expected to be evacuated to Ghana following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to the students at the airport, a Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong gave assurance that government will do everything possible to ensure that more Ghanaians are evacuated.
He mentioned government’s role in airlifting the students into the country.
According to him, Ghana is the first country to have successfully evacuated some citizens in the midst of the ongoing turmoil in Ukraine.
“The government is determined to make sure that your colleagues who want to be evacuated are evacuated. Information coming in is that Ghana is the first country that has evacuated her compatriots. Ghana is doing its best to encourage Russia to stop the attack and atrocities on the citizens of Ukraine.
“On behalf of my Minister, I thank all those who have helped in ensuring the safety of Ghanaians in Ukraine”, the Deputy Foreign Minister told the students.
One of the returnees recounted the struggles they encountered before arriving in the country.
“We got to the border at 6:00 pm on Friday. It took 12 hours to cross the border amid fighting with Ukrainians. The boys had it so badly. The women also struggled, but it was tougher for the men,” he added.
Russian invasion
Russia invaded Ukraine early on Thursday morning after its President Vladimir Putin ordered military operation at dawn despite calls for de-escalation from world leaders.
There have been reports of explosions near major Ukrainian cities, including its capital, Kyiv and Kharkiv.
Recent tensions have stemmed from Russia’s opposition to Ukraine’s moves towards European institutions like the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Union (EU).
Leave Ukraine-Foreign Minister To Ghanaians
Meanwhile, the Minister for Foreign and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has urged Ghanaians not to miss the opportunity to leave the distressed European nation.
Her plea followed reports that some Ghanaians in Ukraine are turning down evacuation options from the government.
At a meeting, Ms Ayorkor Botchwey entreated relatives of Ghanaians in and around Ukraine, “to encourage them to take advantage of this evacuation exercise to return to Ghana.”
Ghana has been mainly concerned with the plight of students who were in Ukraine when it was invaded by Russia.
The Minister indicated that about 527 Ghanaian nationals had crossed the Ukrainian border to various European countries.
With the closure of Ukraine’s airspace, the options available to Ghanaians have been countries such as Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.
“My Ministry, therefore, collaborated with the Ghana Diplomatic Missions in Bern in Switzerland, Prague in the Czech Republic, Ankara, Turkey, and the Vatican, Holy See, Ghana’s Honorary Consuls in Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Ghanaian communities and students’ unions in Poland, Hungary and Romania as well as religious groups to facilitate the evacuation of our nationals after being conveyed from Ukraine by road to the closest borders of the European Countries mentioned earlier.
“We are all gratified to learn that over 500 of our citizens have made it safely across various European borders to safety. We share in your anxieties and pray for the safe return of all our compatriots to Ghana”, she added.
The government believes there were about 1,200 Ghanaians in Ukraine with 945 of them being students registered with the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Ukraine.
According to the Minister, 49 Ghanaians, including one child, have moved to the Czech Republic, 25 Ghanaians are in Slovakia, 134 Ghanaians in Romania, 81 in Poland, and 221 in Hungary.
“The Government of Ghana is ready to evacuate all the five hundred and twenty-seven (527) of our citizens in a coordinated manner,” the Minister assured.
She reiterated that 17 Ghanaian students touched down at the KIA yesterday morning.
“Two other batches from Romania in different groups of 70 and 64, respectively, are expected to arrive later this week.
“I wish to reiterate that the government has put in place the necessary package to facilitate transportation, accommodation, feeding, medical support, etc. to ease any burden on our compatriots”, she added.
