Trapped Nigerian on friendship and terror in Sumy
Samuel Otunla, who is doing a masters in veterinary medicine in Sumy, has told the BBC what it’s like for him and other African students trapped in the north-eastern Ukrainian city.
The whole experience the past 10 days has been nothing short of trauma.
We’ve been unable to leave. The railway has been closed, the main roads are [largely] inaccessible – though, some civilians have been able to travel across by road to other cities but others have been shot at or reached a dead end at broken bridges and had to turn back.
The conclusion is there is a possibility to leave but it is extremely risky – and expensive – because the Ukrainian drivers who are able to transport students are charging between $2,000 (£1,500) and $5,000 for a 200km (125-mile) drive down south.
The school administration informed us a couple days ago that they (as part of the Ukrainian government) are having discussions for a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to leave. They are in discussion with the Red Cross.
Buses have been prepared to move students but unfortunately, the Russian government and military have not agreed to a ceasefire.
The embassies of Nigerian in Russia (and other African countries as I’ve heard) offered us an option to be transported to Russia and evacuated from there. Many students have rejected this idea and rightly so. Russia is the enemy – with all these sanctions. I don’t think any embassy of any country is able to reach a peaceful agreement with them for safe evacuation of its citizens.
I, together with over 60 international students, Ukrainian students and hostel staff have spent the past seven nights in a dusty basement/bomb shelter. It’s not a good experience.
We have gotten financial help and assistance from different organisations – through these we have been able to get groceries and other supplies.
So far we have had explosions on 10 days out of 11. Only one peaceful day.
Our daily routine has been: leaving the bomb shelter between 06:00 and 08:00. Spending the rest of the morning cleaning up, cooking and having breakfast. We usually have a general lunch provided by the school administration by noon and the rest of the afternoon is pretty free. During that time, grocery shopping, a lot of “searching for a way out”.
Throughout the past eight days, we’ve experienced trauma, sickness, stress and weariness but in the midst of all that, we also experienced friendship and love.
The school administration in my university have been so helpful and supportive, every student is willing to help the other person, we’ve shared meals, medications, blankets and mattresses with one another, we’ve played games together, prayed together and laughed together but more than anything, we want to be evacuated together.
We don’t like it here.
source: bbc
