KIEV

- The caravans of exodus stretch from the far east to the far west in Ukraine, but this is not the only tragedy of the ongoing war;

The terror in the cities includes the millions remaining of its residents, and tens of thousands of Arab and foreign students in them, who were stranded and unable to convince the world that they are human beings too, and that they have the right to a safe place.

Most of the Arab students came to Ukraine from Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco and Sudan, and most of them complain to God and then to the island the failure of their country's governments and embassies in making any attempts to save them, similar to what other countries of the world have done.

Over the past days, scenes of foreign and Arab students fleeing on foot have been repeated, most notably in the city of Kharkiv, which was a major destination for students, before it became a destination for missiles and tanks.

Most of them do not have private transportation to take them, and the priority in train stations today is for families, and for Ukrainians in general, which exposes students to some racist attitudes.


Stuck in university housing and homes

Al Jazeera.net contacted a number of Arab students remaining in the city of Kharkiv, and most of them agreed to draw one picture of the situation in the city, which is subjected to the most violent bombings, by saying: "Our souls are on our hands to fulfill our needs. We commit to university housing and homes, waiting for God's mercy."

In the neighboring city of Sumy, where the bombings did not subside yesterday, Thursday, Laith Al-Shawabkeh, a member of a volunteer relief group, says: “The city includes about 1,650 foreigners, among students and families, and it is besieged by the Russians, and they do not allow anyone to leave; whoever does that He could shoot himself."

He added: "We contacted the Red Cross, but to no avail. It needs media intervention before supplies run out, and the situation turns into a disaster."


Relief committees with limited capabilities

This reality is repeated almost identically in most of the cities targeted more than others by bombings and threats of invasion, such as the capital Kyiv, and the cities of Chernihiv, Dnipro, Kherson and others.

In these cities, groups resembling relief committees began to form, from members of communities or Islamic centers, distributing available food and medicine to the needy.

"The ancient Arabs in Ukraine are trying to facilitate the displacement of families and students as much as possible," says Dr. Rami Abu Shamsiya, head of the Union of Arab Doctors in Ukraine.

Abu Shamsia pointed out that a Palestinian died in the city of Kharkiv as a result of a heart attack he suffered during the Russian bombings, and the "Mohammed Assad" Islamic Center in the city of Lviv announced the death of a Muslim infant, as a result of acute pneumonia, as a result of his long stay with his parents in A cold, damp cellar in Kharkiv, before being displaced.

A form of suffering from long waiting in the open and in extreme cold (Reuters)

Waiting in the cold and the open

As for the regions of western Ukraine, the suffering of Arab and foreign students takes another form, even if they are in areas considered - until recently - "safe".

"Nothing guarantees security, and we are all in danger," says Hamza Al-Sheyab, a Jordanian student in Lviv, western Ukraine.

In another context, he points out that "many Arabs are present on the borders, hoping to escape. There is the suffering of long waiting in the open and the extreme cold."

"We call on the relevant authorities in our country to intensify efforts to ensure the safety of everyone, and to guarantee our future as students," he said.

Yemeni students studying in Ukraine are asking the government to evict them, and the government says the skies are closed, and they have the plane with its flyer in Cairo

— Omar Khaled Al-Amir (@aEiDNYo6poMQUhu) February 24, 2022

From the hell of Yemen to the war in Ukraine

In the Ukraine war today, tragic stories cross borders, its beginnings are linked to the wars in Syria and Yemen, and the suffering of the difficult search for a safe place for migrants to seek refuge far from those countries.

Omar Karim Yemeni tells - to Al Jazeera Net - "My children are Karim and Amir in Ukraine. I kept them away from the war in Yemen, thinking that it would be a safe country. They are now trapped in a village between the capital Kyiv and the city of Chernihiv. The war is behind them and in front of them. They sleep and wake up to the sounds of shells, missiles and explosions." ".

He continued, "They did not allow the residents of the village to take a safe passage to escape and seek refuge elsewhere. O Lord, relieve their anguish. Make them safe, and bring them back to me alive and well!"