Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has stated that a train carrying Ghanaian students was ambushed by Russians in Ukraine.
Thankfully, all of the Ghanaian students were unharmed, according to Mr Ablakwa.
On Saturday, February 26, he said this on Key Points on TV3/3FM with Dzifa Bampoh, in response to the Ghanaian government's decision to withdraw Ghanaian students from Ukraine.
Due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Ghana's government ultimately decided to relocate Ghanaian students to nearby countries Moldova, Belarus, Slovakia, and Hungary.
"The Ministry, through its Mission in Berne, Switzerland, and the Honourary Consulate in Ukraine, are in contact with Ghanaian students in Ukraine through their leaders," according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on Friday, February 25.
"In order to facilitate an evacuation practice, a list of students has been established."
The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has emphasized that the single most effective reaction to the crisis is the evacuation of Ghanaian students from Ukraine.
"We therefore make the following recommendations, all of which must ultimately be geared towards evacuation," NUGS said in a petition to the government on Friday, February 25. Parliament should direct and supervise our mission in Switzerland through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take immediate steps to make food, water, and sanitary materials available to students while evacuation preparations are underway.
"The embassy needs to increase its communication with students and establish official channels of disseminating information in order to comfort students who have lost faith in our processes."
Following the conflict with Russia, the Ghanaian government expressed worries about the safety of Ghanaian students in Ukraine.
"The Government of Ghana is gravely concerned about the security and safety of our over 1000 students and other Ghanaians in Ukraine," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said in a series of tweets on Thursday, February 24. "We have asked them to shelter in place in their homes or in government places of shelter, while we engage the authorities, our relevant diplomatic missions, and our honorary consul on further measures.
"I must state that the newest shift in posture by the administration to take concrete actions to evacuate our people, notably students stranded in Ukraine is a positive development," Mr Ablakwa remarked in response to the new development.
"I'd want to congratulate the government on this significant adjustment in policy. You may recall that earlier this week, when the only indication was that the students should seek refuge and go into hiding, I said that this was insufficient and not a helpful posture, especially given that other countries were taking more pragmatic steps to get their citizens out of the danger zone.
"I was very interested in what the Indians did, what the French did, what Jamaica did, and what the Nigerians are doing." Despite the fact that we do not have a permanent diplomatic mission in Ukraine, I believe it is possible to develop bilateral alliances with individuals who are familiar with the region, have greater logistical capability, and have a well-thought-out evacuation strategy.
"I've been in touch with NUGS-Ukraine, a group of Ukrainian student leaders, who tell me that the Polish border is currently too congested, so they're using the Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania border points." Our diplomatic post in Berne, Switzerland, is in regular contact with them and has made plans to meet those on the first train crossing the border.
"I've seen the route plan for some additional buses that are leaving from various places, including Kyiv later today." I believe that these evacuation plans are admirable, and that we should continue to pray for and care about our Ukrainian citizens. Let us hope that the Lord would deliver them safely from harm's way."
"There were some minor conflicts yesterday," he continued, "which I closely monitored." Some of our kids were on board the train that was attacked by Russians. God bless them for surviving unscathed. It's a perilous scenario, and so far, it's to God's glory that none of our nationals have been harmed or counted among the casualties, so it's all good."
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