# data[].attributes.body
Around 60 people were killed and several more wounded in a gold mine explosion in southwest Burkina Faso. It is unsure how the explosion came to be or who was at fault, but they lost about $1 billion worth of gold, which is around 20 tons. It also felled many trees and destroyed houses. As Burkina Faso has been under attack from Islamist groups connected to al Qaeda in the past, seeking control of their mining sites, there are thoughts that they could be connected to this attack as well, though this attack was far from their usual sites and has not been connected to any group as of now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
burkina faso: about 60 killed in blast at informal gold mine - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
At least 60 people killed in blast at gold mine in Burkina Faso, state TV reports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
About 60 people were killed and dozens more wounded on Monday in an explosion at an informal gold mining site in southwest Burkina Faso, state television reported, citing local officials.

# data[].attributes.body
Middle Eastern countries are fearing wheat imports duing the war between Russia and Ukraine. Wheat is a huge part of the middle east. Bread is had with almost every meal. On top of that, it is cheap and was easy to source. If the prices go up, less people will be able to afford wheat and could lead to starvation.

# data[].attributes.body
The people in Lviv are preparing for a Russian invasion by arming citizens with Molotovs and other assorted items. many banners have been hung with phrases encouraging the continued fight against the russians. Lviv is close to Poland so it is a key site for imported resources from foreign allies. The city is also a key place refugees to leave the country. Lviv has become a key strategic point for the defense of Ukraine and the people are prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep the city.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The billboard a worker hung from a vehicle overpass in Ukraine's westernmost city on Monday was defiant. "Russian soldiers go f-k yourself, the people of Lviv," it read.

Outside a shop, an electronic sign displayed a middle finger to the Russian forces, while in another part of the city, boxes of Molotov cocktails were ready for street battles.

With Russian troops in Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, on the doorstep of Kyiv, and bombarding other centres, Lviv was fast becoming a key base in the country's fight to guard its independence.

It's a familiar role for the city of 720,000, which stubbornly resisted Russian and Polish occupation in the first half of the 20th century.

Nazi rule in 1941 gave way to Soviet rule three years later. The red-and-black banner of the Ukrainian Resistance Army, which fought both occupiers, still flies around Lviv.

Independence came in 1991 but Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine, and since his latest invasion began on Feb. 24, Lvivites have quickly united in their defiance.

They have been enlisting in the civil defence forces, training, sandbagging, digging fortifications, welding together metal tank barriers, and coming up with novel ways to protect Ukraine.

Valentine Vivcharchyn and Ivan Taranenko, residents of Kyiv who fled Russian shelling of the capital for Lviv, said they collected US$3,000 through an online fundraising drive on the weekend.

They spent the proceeds on ammunition and winter clothing, which they loaded into a van that transported the supplies to the front lines.

In a factory, Yurko Nazaruk was printing T-shirts that read "Fight Like a Ukrainian." He said they would be sold internationally to raise funds for the fight against Russia.

"Every one of us is trying to help," said Muroslava Semenko, who volunteers at one of the makeshift plants that have sprung up around the city to produce military netting.

Because of its proximity to Poland, Lviv is a natural gateway for goods and people arriving in Ukraine to help expel the Russian forces, and also for refugees on their way out.

The line of vehicles waiting to cross into Korczowa, Poland stretched for around four kilometres on Saturday. Hundreds were on foot, joining the 1.5 million that have fled the country.

But in Lviv, the mood was upbeat at a three-storey arts building made of heavy stone that was being used to manufacture meshing to disguise military equipment.

As Ukrainian rock music blasted over a stereo, a crowd of young volunteers tore donated shirts and bedsheets into strips, dyed them earthy colours and wove them into a lattice.

Watching the volunteers at work, it was impossible to imagine they could ever be conquered. Even when the air raid sirens sounded, they carried on, confident the old building would protect them, said Anastasia Vedernikova.

Shifts at the net factory began with the national anthem, and news updates were broadcast as they came in, said Vedernikova, a project manager at a software company, who co-founded the project.

The nets are made-to-order in a range of sizes and colours, depending on what they are meant to conceal, whether tanks or bunkers, making them less visible from the air.

A 21-metre net for a plane was just completed, said Vedernikova, a former Edmonton foreign exchange student.

"Yesterday, our soldiers came and took maybe 50 nets," she said.

There are similar sites in schools and churches around Lviv, although the arts centre is likely the largest, with 100 volunteers at a time, she said.

The war has so far kept away from Lviv, as Russian forces appear to be focused on Ukraine's more vulnerable north, east and south.

But the city has been readying itself for another invasion. Checkpoints made of concrete barriers and old tires have gone up on roads. Windows were being taped or boarded up, and monuments were wrapped in plastic, foam and duct tape.

Historic statues are everywhere in Lviv. The old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The loss of life and culture under the strain of urban warfare could be devastating.

A volunteer net maker, Maria Koshlan, emerged from church on Sunday and said she just wanted life to go back to the way it was before Putin ordered his invasion.

She said the war was on everyone's mind during mass at St. George's Cathedral, an old baroque building that has survived Lviv's history as a punching bag for foreign armies.

"We prayed that we will be able to forgive our enemies," she said.

As he looked into the faces of his parishioners during morning mass, Father Paulo Drozyak said he saw the weariness of a nation that has withstood a dozen days of military assault.

"They were so tired," he said.

It's exhausting to be under attack, to have to fend off a neighbour trying to take your country from you, but Drozyak said his church was preaching the duty to lend a hand.

In times like this, it's not enough to pray, he said. The church was telling worshippers to do whatever they could, like opening their homes to Ukrainians arriving from the east.

A door sign outside said to rise up, that Ukraine was the motherland and needed protection. The church was to begin wrapping its sculptures on Monday to protect them from Russian bombardment.

"We believe in God, and also we believe in our country," Drozdyak said. "But we need to do something.... Believing without doing something, it's nothing."

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
United in defiance, residents fortify Lviv against Russian attack - National | Globalnews.ca

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The billboard a worker hung from a vehicle overpass in Ukraine's westernmost city on Monday was defiant. "Russian soldiers go f-k yourself, the people of Lviv," it read. Outside a shop, an electronic sign displayed a middle finger to the Russian forces, while in another part of the city, boxes of Molotov cocktails were ready for street battles.

# data[].attributes.body
ISIS was responsible for a bombing of a mosque that killed 50 people, and wounded 100. This was one of the worst terrorists attacks in years. The ISIS bomber was of Afghan descent, and shot two police guards before entering the mosque and detonating a suicide vest. Among those killed were women and children. Pakistani intelligence is still trying to figure out the full details.

# data[].attributes.body
The freedom convoy made laps around the capital beltway, which is a highway that circles Washington D.C. They are protesting COVID-19 health restrictions. Similar convoys in Canada have been blocking border crossings. More convoys have been sprouting up in Europe, in Netherlands and France. The convoy left Southern California and is continuing across the country.

# data[].attributes.body
The 280-foot yacht Amore Vero features multiple decks, accommodates up to 14 guests and has a swimming pool that turns into a helicopter pad -- and it's just been seized by the French government. CNN's Drew Griffin reports on internationally sanctioned assets linked to Russian oligarchs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inside the 280-foot yacht seized by the French government - CNN Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The 280-foot yacht Amore Vero features multiple decks, accommodates up to 14 guests and has a swimming pool that turns into a helicopter pad -- and it’s just been seized by the French government. CNN’s Drew Griffin reports on internationally sanctioned assets linked to Russian oligarchs.

# data[].attributes.body
Recently there has been lots of protests in Russia because of their invasion of Ukraine. Over the past week there have been over 10,000 people detained because of the protests. In recent years it has become harder for citizens to protest in Russia because of new legislation that requires a "permit" to protest or organize. It is very likely that 1,000's will continue to be detained every day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
More than 4,300 people were detained at anti-war protests across Russia on Sunday, rights groups and Russian authorities say.

Some 1,700 people were detained in Moscow alone, Ria news agency reports, citing the interior ministry.

The OVD-Info rights group says detentions took place in 53 cities.

Although protests have become increasingly restricted in recent years, numerous rallies have taken place across Russia since the invasion.

In the last 11 days, more than 10,000 people have been detained at protests, OVD-Info says.

"The screws are being fully tightened - essentially we are witnessing military censorship," Maria Kuznetsova, OVD-Info's spokeswoman, told Reuters news agency from Tbilisi in Georgia.

"We are seeing rather big protests today - even in Siberian cities, where we only rarely saw such numbers of arrests."

Earlier this week, government critic Alexei Navalny - who is in jail on fraud charges - called for daily demonstrations against the invasion, saying Russia should not be a "nation of frightened cowards".

However, a number of new laws have made it harder to protest in Russia in recent years, rights groups say.

"Although Russian legislation avoids explicitly using terms like 'permit' or 'ban'... it effectively requires organisers to seek authorisation for their assemblies," Amnesty International says.

According to Russian human rights group OVD-Info - which was set up in 2011 - more than 2,500 people were detained across Russia on Sunday.

It publishes the names and locations of those arrested, as well as total figures.

"Each police department may have more detainees than published lists," it says. "We publish only the names of those people about whom we know for certain and whose names we can publish."

Protests did not just take place in Russia on Sunday, but around the world. In Kazakhstan - an ally of Moscow - a peace rally was permitted in Almaty, attended by around 2,000 people.

Anti-war protesters also took to the streets in cities like Brussels, in Belgium, and London.

In Ukraine itself, Russian troops occupying the southern city of Nova-Kakhovka opened fire to try to disperse demonstrators.

A video from the city, in the Kherson region, shows protesters calling for the Russians to "go home" amid the sound of gunfire and stun grenades. The demonstrators appear to hold their ground.

One report said five people had been injured.

War in Ukraine: More coverage

Are you taking part in any of the protests? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Protests across Russia see thousands detained

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
People have been held in 53 cities, from St Petersburg in the west to Vladivostok in the east.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
President Jovenel Moïse was killed in an assassination

# data[].attributes.body
President Jovenel Moïse was shot and died in an assassination in his house in Port-au-Prince. He was the president in Haiti from 2017 until he died on July 7, 2021. To this day, we still don't know who killed President Jovenel, but just now Tanis Philomé was arrested in the Dominican Republic. He was an officer of the President's security team and other security personnel has been arrested as well. Questions have been raised if the security team was in on the attack. Only the President and his wife had gotten shot but none of the security guards had so that is very suspicious. Hopefully, we will learn the truth about the assassination and the person who murdered him will be put to justice.

# data[].attributes.body
As a result of Putin's actions in the Russo-Ukranian War, Russia's Economy has faced severe sanctions from the west. These sanctions, targeted at destabilizing the Russian economy and directly attacking the top officials. These efforts have been mostly successful, shown in the depleting value of the Russian Rouble. As a result of these heavy sanctions, the value of the rouble has dropped to less than 1 American cent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
MOSCOW, March 3 (Reuters) - The Russian rouble slumped to new record lows against the dollar on Thursday though it closed the Moscow session little changed, after Fitch and Moody's downgraded Russia's sovereign debt to "junk" status, with steps by the central bank and finance ministry failing to halt its slide.

Russia's financial markets have been thrown into turmoil by sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two. The stock market remains closed and trading volume on its sovereign debt has vanished.

The rouble ended at 106.01 per dollar in Moscow from Wednesday's 106.02 close, after hitting an intraday record low of 118.35, down over 10% on the day.

Against the euro , it closed down another 1.9% at 117.60 after weakening past 125 for the first time ever during the session.

In foreign markets , the rouble was recently trading at 110 per dollar, down 9.1% on the day, with bids in other platforms close to 117 per dollar.

"You know trading is thin when the Bank of England and European Central Bank stop publishing quotes on the rouble exchange rate," said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist for multi-asset solutions at Allspring Global Investments.

"The bid-ask spread is a measure of liquidity and you could drive a truck through that spread. The longer the situation plays out, the more economic damage will be done to the Russian economy and sellers of roubles will get more and more desperate while potential buyers get more and more hesitant to hold the currency."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions imposed in response have led to dire warnings about the Russian economy, with JPMorgan predicting a 35% contraction in the second quarter. read more

The Russian central bank imposed a 30% commission on foreign currency purchases by individuals on currency exchanges - a move brokers said appeared designed to curb demand for dollars - but there was little immediate impact. read more

The central bank on Thursday said it would not reveal the change in its gold and forex reserves, which are frozen by Western sanctions, through the next three months.

The finance ministry said it was halting purchases of foreign currency and gold this year as part of a suspension of parts of its fiscal rule - a move also aimed at easing pressure on the rouble. read more

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Since Russian troops entered Ukraine on Feb. 24 the rouble is down close to 30% against the dollar, and analysts say it will probably remain highly volatile.

The government has ordered Russian exporters to convert 80% of their foreign exchange revenues into roubles in another attempt to buttress the local currency, but people are still queuing up at banks to buy dollars as the rouble slumps.

Russia's five-year credit default swaps, which investors use to hedge against risk, fell to 1,250 basis points on Thursday from their closing level of 1,321 on Wednesday, but rouble implied volatility gauges rose to fresh record highs.

Goldman Sachs noted that Russian financial conditions had tightened significantly. https://tmsnrt.rs/3C9UMcI

TRAPPED MONEY

"There's huge uncertainty around ongoing events, and there's going to be a lot of volatility, volumes will be a lot lower, liquidity will be incredibly poor," said Chris Turner, global head of markets at ING. "There's a lot of trapped foreign money in Russia at the moment."

On Thursday, Russia's National Settlement Depository said coupon payouts on Russia's OFZ government bonds which were due on Wednesday had only been made to local holders, citing a central bank order barring payments to foreigners.

Moscow is blocking foreign investors, who hold tens of billions of dollars worth of Russian stocks and bonds, from exiting those holdings. It has temporarily barred Russian companies from paying dividends to overseas shareholders, without saying how long the curbs will last. read more

Trading on the Moscow Exchange's stock section remained largely closed on Thursday, a fourth day of restrictions ordered by the central bank.

Overnight, Fitch said U.S. and European Union sanctions prohibiting any transactions with the Bank of Russia would have a "much larger impact on Russia's credit fundamentals than any previous sanctions."

Moody's said the severity of the sanctions "have gone beyond Moody's initial expectations and will have material credit implications." read more

S&P lowered Russia's rating to sub-investment grade last week. read more

On Wednesday, index providers FTSE Russell and MSCI said they would remove Russian equities from all their indexes, after a top MSCI executive earlier this week called Russia's stock market "uninvestable." read more

Reporting by Moscow bureau, Anisha Sircar in Bangalore and ROdrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Mark Potter, Bernadette Baum and Jonathan Oatis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Russian rouble hits new lows in volatile trading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Russian rouble slumped to new record lows against the dollar on Thursday though it closed the Moscow session little changed, after Fitch and Moody's downgraded Russia's sovereign debt to "junk" status, with steps by the central bank and finance ministry failing to halt its slide.

# data[].attributes.body
After the second week of Russia's invasion of Ukraine it appears that Putin is losing support not only around the world, but also in Russia. Reports say that over 8,000 protestors in Russia have been arrested. Many Russian solders have died so far, but Putin appears to be trying to downplay the number of losses to the world and to his country. He is a former KGB agent and is skilled at disinformation. There are signs that he is losing control based on the harshness and shrillness in his voice broadcast. Many people have fled Russia for fear of being arrested or forced to fight in a war they do not support.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Developments this week indicate Russia is losing the information war at home, and President Vladimir Putin is not able to fully control the narrative surrounding his invasion of Ukraine.

Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital that it might be a bit of a stretch to say that Russia is "clearly" losing the information war, but signs indicate there is definitely "trouble."

"A few days ago ... the official Russian censorship agency came out with a warning to all media outlets that said 'only trustworthy sources are allowed to be used when reporting on this special military operation, and if you don't do that we will take you off-air,'" which led to the forced closure of two independent news networks, including Dozhd TV - known in English as Rain TV.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
Tikhon Dzyadko, overnight chief editor of Dozhd, wrote on Telegram on Wednesday that he was fleeing the country over fear for his life, saying it was "obvious that the personal safety of some of us is now under threat."

Jump in views

The BBC also claimed Wednesday that "millions of Russians" have turned to the BBC in order to get "factual, independent information" about the war. BBC.com supposedly saw 10.7 million views on its Russian language news website - triple its year-to-date weekly average.

But Koffler added that Russia will "crack down further and possibly ban broadcasts by Western media if they haven't already." The BBC announced Thursday it would establish shortwave radio service in Ukraine and Russia to circumvent such issues.
IS AMERICAN RESOLVE A MATCH FOR PUTIN'S BRUTALITY AND LIES?
Alexis Mrachek, a research associate at the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy, argued that Putin certainly looks like he's "losing control."

"I honestly think it shows a little bit of both: I think it shows firstly he is in control but also, yes, he's losing control," Mrachek told Fox News Digital. "In these videos being put out online of his different speeches, his demeanor is different, and his tone his more harsh - his messaging is becoming shriller and shriller."

Putin has maintained that Russia is executing a "special military operation," with aims to "denazify" Ukraine and to protect two breakaway regions from a "genocide." Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust.

Protests inside Russia

Protests broke out across Russia in every major city including in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Independent Russian watchdog group OVD-Info reported that authorities had arrested more than 8,000 people at these protests over the first week of the conflict. Celebrities and prominent figures in Russia have also trumpeted their opposition to the war.

Fox News correspondent Amy Kellogg reported that a Russian pollster announced it would delay publishing results on attitudes regarding the war until the "special operation" has finished, and Koffler agreed that would imply the picture within the country is that the invasion remains unpopular and the information war is not as effective.
SHOULD RUSSIAN JOURNALIST WHO QUIT STATE TV AFTER CONDEMNING UKRAINE INVASION FEAR FOR HER LIFE?
Both Russia and Ukraine have engaged in some level of disinformation, most clearly demonstrated by each side reporting enemy deaths in the thousands while failing to report their own losses. But Russia blinked and provided a hard number Wednesday when state-aligned outlet RIA reported losses of 498 troops and a further 1,597 injured.

The British Ministry of Defense reported on day two of the invasion that Russia had lost 450 troops. In an update on day eight, the British ministry said the Russian losses "will almost certainly be considerably higher" than the 498 reported by RIA.

'Spin' almost certain

Dan Hoffman, a Fox News contributor and former CIA station chief in Moscow, told Fox News Digital that it's difficult to draw conclusions from abroad, but that Russia is almost certainly spinning as much as possible.
RUSSIAN JOURNALIST ESCAPES COUNTRY OUT OF FEAR FOR HIS LIFE
"The way you run information operations is, you tell a sliver of truth and lie about the rest," Hoffman said. "Vladimir Putin knows how to do this. He is an ex-KGB agent."

"The way you run information operations is, you tell a sliver of truth and lie about the rest. Vladimir Putin knows how to do this. He is an ex-KGB agent."
- Dan Hoffman, former CIA station chief in Moscow

And Putin plans to extend his ironclad grip to the rest of the country as reports continue to indicate that he will declare martial law on Friday. Some citizens have fled for the borders to escape the country before Putin can make his announcement.

Alec Luhn, a former Guardian and Telegraph correspondent who has reported from inside Russia over the past week, wrote on Twitter that he and other journalists have fled the country ahead of border closings and martial law.

"Tickets mostly sold out," Luhn wrote. "Packed flights. Other passengers said they were afraid to be trapped in Russia, arrested or conscripted to fight a war they don't support. Don't know if they'll be able to return."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ukraine war: Russia losing information war at home, scrambles to reshape narrative

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Developments this week indicate Russia is losing the information war at home, and President Vladimir Putin is not able to fully control the narrative surrounding his invasion of Ukraine. Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital that it might be a bit of a stretch to say that Russia is "clearly" losing the information war, but signs indicate there is definitely "trouble."

# data[].attributes.body
A power plant in southern Taiwan received power failures resulting in 5 million households losing power. The state-run power operator said they are working on getting the backup generators back on. The nation's economic affairs minister apologised for the outages and promised power would be back on in the northern parts of the island. The island occasionally gets large power outages, for example in 2017 6.68 million households lost power.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Taiwan-based TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker, said a number of its plants had experienced short "power dips". It added that it was checking if there was any "actual impact", said a Reuters report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Taiwan: Massive power outage affects five million households

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Taiwan-based TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker, said a number of its plants had experienced short "power dips". It added that it was checking if there was any "actual impact", said a Reuters report.

# data[].attributes.body
Nigeria, South Africa and other African countries are scrambling to help their citizens escape from the invasion - especially after reports of unfair treatment and racism of Africans crossing the border. Many Africans in Ukraine are students and are trying to get to Poland and other countries. Of course there are other citizens from other countries. Some African citizens are not even allowed over borders. Nigeria has started evacuations and wants other countries to treat Nigerian citizens the same way as everyone else. Other African countries agree with that as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nigeria, South Africa and other African governments scrambled on Monday to help their citizens escape the Russian invasion in Ukraine after reports of racist and unfair treatment of Africans at border crossings.

Africans in Ukraine, many of them students, are among hundreds of thousands of people trying to flee into Poland and other neighbouring countries.

African Union leaders voiced concern at the reports of mistreatment of Africans caught up in the Ukraine conflict and said such conduct was "shockingly racist".

The chair of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, and African Union Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat said on Monday that they were "particularly disturbed by reports that African citizens on the Ukrainian side of the border are being refused the right to cross the border to safety".

"Reports that Africans are singled out for unacceptable dissimilar treatment would be shockingly racist and in breach of international law," they said in a statement.

All countries should "respect international law and show the same empathy and support to all people fleeing war notwithstanding their racial identity", they added.

Nigeria's foreign minister, Godfrey Onyeama, said on Monday the evacuation of the country's citizens would start on Wednesday.

Earlier, presidential adviser Garba Shehu had urged Ukrainian border officials to treat Nigerian citizens equally after reports they had been stopped from boarding buses and trains to the border.

Shehu referred to a video on social media showing a Nigerian woman with a baby being physically forced to give up her seat.

There had also been reports of Polish officials refusing Nigerian citizens entry into Poland from Ukraine, Shehu added.

"All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under the UN Convention and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference."

Nigerian accountant Lukmon Busari said his son, a fourth-year medical student, was already out after waiting for a day on the Polish border.

"Initially they didn't allow them to move as they gave priority to Ukrainians, to women and children. Eventually they allowed them into Poland," he said, adding that the Polish authorities "did a marvellous job".

South Africa's foreign ministry spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, tweeted that a group of South Africans, mainly students, was stuck at the Ukrainian-Polish border.

The South African ambassador to Warsaw was at the site trying to get them through, he added. Monyela said on Sunday that Africans were being "treated badly" at the Polish-Ukraine border.

Poland's ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska, dismissed claims of unfair treatment.

"Everybody receives equal treatment. I can assure you that I have reports that already some Nigerian nationals have crossed the border into Poland."

Nigerians could stay for 15 days, and even invalid documents were being accepted to cross the border and Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, she said.

Some Nigerians who made it across the borders described having been made to wait as officials gave priority to Ukrainian women and children.

"One of the officers came and told us it's harder for us foreigners because they have to get in touch with our government in different countries," Stephanie Agekameh, a medical student now in Poland, said in a text message.

Speaking from Korczowa in Poland, Nigerian managerial sciences student Agantem Moshe, said Ukrainian police had pushed Africans out of the way to make way for women and children.

"From the Polish side it was smooth, they were professionals. In Ukraine, they kept us outside in the cold," he said.

The United Nations said that more than half a million refugees from Ukraine had so far crossed into neighbouring countries.

Nigeria's embassy in Bucharest said it had received 130 Nigerians, with more being processed having reached Warsaw or Budapest.

Ghana's government said it would meet parents of students stuck in Ukraine on Tuesday and sent embassy officials to border points to help.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's foreign minister, Christophe Lutundula, said on Twitter that he would meet the Polish ambassador to help with the passage across the border of about 200 Congolese, mostly students.

Côte d'Ivoire, which, according to state media reports, has 500 citizens in Ukraine, said it was also making arrangements for their evacuation.

Kenya's foreign affairs ministry said last week that about 200 Kenyans were safe and accounted for but that some were stuck at the Polish border because of visa restrictions. - AFP

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
African governments scramble to help its citizens in Ukraine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nigeria, South Africa and other African governments scrambled on Monday to help their citizens escape the Russian invasion in Ukraine after reports of racist and unfair treatment of Africans at border crossings. Africans in Ukraine, many of them students, are among hundreds of thousands of people trying to flee into Poland and other neighbouring countries.