The African Union (AU) has admonished the maltreatment of African nationals who have been denied the chance of fleeing Ukraine in the wake of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

AU issued a statement on Monday expressing its concerns over the matter.

This comes after a video went viral showing Ukrainian authorities blocking Africans from boarding a train to flee the war and reports of African citizens being refused the right to cross the border to Poland.

Another video clip showed African nationals stranded in the snow hopelessly waiting for any way out of Ukraine.

According to the statement, the President of Senegal and current AU Chairperson Macky Sall and AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Fakin Mahatma said they are following closely on the developments in Ukraine and are disturbed by the reports.

The two chairpersons said African nationals should also be allowed out of Ukraine without being racially profiled.

“The current Chair of the African Union and President of the Republic of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, are following closely the developments in Ukraine and are 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,” the statement read.

In that regard, Sall and Mahamat urged called for respect of the International Law and fair consideration of all people fleeing the war regardless of their ethnicity.

“The Chairpersons urge all countries to respect international law and show the same empathy and support to all people fleeing war notwithstanding their racial identity,” the statement read in part.

The chairpersons, however, commended efforts by AU member countries and their embassies in countries neighbouring Ukraine for their efforts to accommodate the families running away from Ukraine.