Since the formation of the Foreign Legion to fight in Ukraine by order of President Volodymyr Zelensky 3 days after the launch of the Russian invasion of the country, hundreds of Africans from across the continent have expressed their desire to join it to fight against the Russian forces.

In order to find out the motives that make the people of the brown continent take the risk by volunteering to participate in a fierce war taking place far from their continent, the British newspaper “The Independent” published a press report that included interviews with a number of Africans who expressed their desire to join the foreign legion. It also included the opinions of some analysts on the phenomenon.

The investigation, conducted by The Independent journalists Portia Crowe and Ozil Mumar Lo, revealed that the level of turnout shown by Africans in various countries on the continent surprised political analysts, as applications by civilians to join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion poured out on Ukrainian embassies in many African countries.


sudden turnout

The newspaper quoted sources in the Ukrainian embassies in South Africa and Nigeria that they had received hundreds of requests - by phone and e-mail, some of which were submitted by their owners personally - to join the war.

Ukraine's ambassador to South Africa said in a press interview that her embassy was flooded with messages shortly after the establishment of the Foreign Legion by order of President Zelensky at the end of last February.

The Ukrainian embassy in Kenya also said it had received numerous requests, and African civilians interviewed by The Independent in Uganda and Burundi, which have no Ukrainian embassies, expressed their desire to recruit to fight in Ukraine but did not know how to do so.

The newspaper said Damien Magro, a spokesman for the Foreign Legion in Ukraine, stated that there were Africans in the legion, but did not provide details of their number or their nationalities.

A Ukrainian military official said last month that the Foreign Legion includes about 20,000 fighters of 50 nationalities.

Immigration to Europe

The press investigation revealed multiple motives behind the fighting of Africans in the ranks of the foreign legion supporting Ukraine, including a political motive, which the newspaper described as support and assistance to Ukraine;

While others cited various motives as part of the investigation, most notably immigration to Europe.

Kyiv allows foreigners willing to fight against Russian forces to enter without a visa, a rare opportunity for Africans who want to reach Europe, whose passports are often ranked as the weakest among the world's countries.

Many Africans, who do not have passports, immigrate to Europe through illegal channels.

They undertake long and perilous journeys by land and sea in addition to the risks they were exposed to including violence, discrimination and detention during that long journey.

The investigation cited the opinion of Stephen Crouzd, head of the Department of Governance and Diplomacy at the Institute of International Affairs Studies in South Africa, who said, "If we think a little, we will find that most of the volunteers are young and highly fit people who see participation in the war in Ukraine as a ticket out of Africa and a way to enter Europe." And then residing there.

As for Ibrahim Nayi, a researcher at the Center for Democracy and Development, a human rights organization, he believes that most (Africans who apply to go to Ukraine have tried to travel to Europe before through illegal routes).


principles and interests

Among the volunteers to join the Ukraine Foreign Legion, interviewed by The Independent;

Senegalese construction worker Alsan Faye said that as soon as he saw the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he felt a strong desire to help.

"I can't stand injustice, and I don't like to see people suffer," said Faye, 45, who lives in a small village near the Senegalese capital.

The man has already begun communicating with the Ukrainian embassy in Dakar by phone and told officials there of his desire to join the fight in the ranks of the Foreign Legion.

Indeed, the embassy directed him to the method of applying online, but the Senegalese government demanded to stop recruiting its citizens at that time after the number of applicants to volunteer to fight for Kyiv reached 35 Senegalese by early March.

While Faye asserted that he did not want to "take advantage of the war" for personal gain, it became clear from his words that part of his desire to join the Foreign Legion in Ukraine was motivated by the possibility of looking for work there after the end of the war.

Faye told the newspaper about his experience in 2005 when he was caught by authorities while trying to escape on a fishing boat to Spain.

He said he was helped by a friend of his who owed him money, who offered to do the experiment in return for paying for the trip.

But Fei was soon arrested along with two other friends after they boarded the boat.

handicaps

The investigation indicates that the governments of many African countries prevent their citizens from volunteering for the war in Ukraine against the Russian invasion, unlike the position of countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, which did not prevent their citizens from joining the Ukrainian International Legion.

This may be due to fear of consequences when fighters return home from the war.

Ibrahim Nayi, from the Center for Democracy and Development, says that this may be "in order to avoid what happened in Libya... where African youths in some cases went out to fight as mercenaries (during the war that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi) and returned with violent tendencies and joined some armed movements in countries such as Mali. Nigeria and Chad.

The investigation points to another factor that may be driving the prevention of governments in some African countries from allowing their citizens to volunteer to fight, which is the fear of disturbing relations with Russia in the long run.