Ukraine two years on: “I no get choice but to go back”

“Wetin I dey go back to?”

Last September, Haifa Juma, wey be university student from Tanzania bin ask herself dis question ova and ova.

In spite of her fears, di 23-year-old medical student bin make di difficult decision to go back di war-torn Ukraine to finish her degree.

“I no get choice. Although I bin get doubts…. We see for news say di fight still dey go on. So, I no dey sure wetin I go find,” she tok.

Dis month go mark two years since Russia invade Ukraine. Since February 2022, more dan 30,000 civilian deaths don dey reported, according to di United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission for Ukraine total deaths fit pass dat one.

Di conflict don displace millions, scata towns and cities and destroy critical infrastructure.

Like many foreign students, Haifa bin fear wen di war start so she run ova di border enta Hungary.

E take her months to convince her family for Tanzania to agree to her decision to go back Ukraine.

“I dey do my studies online from Tanzania, and I don finish wit di theory phase. To graduate, I gatz dey physically present for school for di practical,” she tok.

“My family don already spend too much moni for me to start from scratch for anoda place. And I no fit sit idle, dey wait for di war to end.”

Haifa now dey for her fourth year dey study medicine for Sumy State University for north-eastern Ukraine. She go graduate for 2027 and hope to become doctor wey specialise for gynaecology.

Ukraine State Centre for International Education (USCIE) say dem no get accurate data on di number of African students wey don return to study.

Before di war, around 16,000 African students bin dey study for Ukraine.

Currently, around 5,500 African students dey registered for Ukraine universities, according to figures from di kontri Unified State Electronic Database on Education. Out of these, about 3,950 dey from Morocco and Nigeria while Tanzania get 49 students registered.

“Each student dey make di decision on whether to return to study for Ukraine personally. Universities dey make sure say campuses and classrooms dey equipped wit bomb shelters, and say online and hybrid learning dey of high quality” one tok-tok pesin for USCIE tok for one statement for BBC News.

For Haifa, for di main university campus for Sumy, “Na only online classes we dey do for now. Di university say face-to-face learning go start soon, as more students dey expected to return.”

USCIE say as di conflict continue di format of learning go dey change for higher education students, and e dey up to individual universities plus dia students to choose wetin go work.

“Dem don move all institutions of higher education from di temporarily occupied regions go safer cities for di territory of central and western Ukraine” one tok-tok pesin for USCIE tok.

Hybrid learning

Unlike for Haifa, returning to Ukraine no be option for many African students.

Wen di conflict start for Ukraine, around 16,000 students from African kontris bin dey study for campuses across di kontri.

Believe dey say around 10,000 of dis students run comot Ukraine. Many of dem no wan go back.

While some African students go back dia kontris of origin, some settle for Europe – for di Netherlands, Portugal and Finland – wia dem fit transfer dia courses to local universities.

But two years on, di European Union Temporary Protection Directive – one provision wey allow dem to study – don dey expire.

Dis one mean say afta March 4, African students go need study visa to continue dia classes, according to one statement from di Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security.

Dis no be good news for Aisha, one of di 17 so-called ‘third-kontri nationals’ wey enrol for universities for di Netherlands.

Di 25-year-old also na medical student and she dey di final semester of her degree.

If dem no grant Aisha student visa, she go gatz return to Nigeria wia she say she no go fit continue her degree.

Aisha say she dey at risk of losing evritin, becos returning to a war zone no be option she dey willing to consider.

“Wia you want make we go? You no fit possibly dey tell us to go back go Ukraine wia pipo dey die” Aisha tok, she bin no wan tok her full name for personal reasons.

“I dey follow wetin dey go on for Ukraine,” she tok.

“I gatz to, my life documents dey dia. I feel bad for di Ukrainians, but I feel worse for us ‘third-kontri nationals’ – di Dutch see us as freeloaders even though we work and pay tax.

"Dem dey treat us like less dan human. Why treat us like dis, wen we we go through di same war?” she tok.

Di Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security tok say students like Aisha go get up to 28 days afta di March deadline to leave di kontri.

“Majority of di ‘third-kontri nationals’ wey run comot Ukraine fit, in principle, return to dia kontri of origin. If di third-kontri national fear violence or prosecution for dia kontri of origin, dem fit apply for asylum here,” di ministry tok for one statement to di BBC

Di Derdelanders, a Dutch organisation set up to advocate for di rights of third-kontri nationals, don dey campaign for di students to dey allowed more time to finish dia courses.

“Humanitarian support gatz dey about compassion and showing empathy and understanding say dis pipo na human beings, regardless of di background,” Isaac Awodola tok - im dey head di Derdelanders group.

“E no suppose mata whether dem come from di global south, dis na pipo wey encounter a lot of adversity leaving Ukraine.”

Im contrast di experience of third-kontri nationals wit around 400 Ukrainian students wey gatz leave to remain for Netherlands to study until March 2025.

Some African kontris don address di problem by setting up studying arrangements outside Ukraine. Ghana don agree to transfer dia medical students to Grenada to finish dia degrees.

Dem announce di agreement afta di war bin break out and di agreement go cova 200 students. Hungary also make similar offer to absorb Ghanaian students wey bin dey study for Ukraine.

However, a large number of di African students wey run gatz find alternative routes to complete dia education, or simply abandon dia studies and look for work back home.

Although the situation for di Ukraine town where Haifa dey study now dey calmer, she tok say she dey worry constantly say fighting go force her and oda students to run again.

“We bin travel to Kyiv for February to do our national exam, and e get one explosion wey happun right in front of our building.

"By den I bin just start to relax, tinkin say di situation dey beta," she tok.

“But afta seeing di explosion e bin dey scary, and now, I tink maybe e go take a bit of time. I just hope e end soon."