Parents of Namibian students in the war-zone Ukraine are left in the dark over the safety of their children, saying there is no communication on the safety and repartition plan from the Namibian government.

In an interview with Nampa on Sunday, the distraught parents said there is no united official communication indicaticating government’s commitment or response and that as parents they are left to their individual capabilities and efforts to locate their children and seek safety for them in neighbouring European countries.

These sentiments came after the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in statement issued on Thursday said the Namibian government is in consultation with stakeholders to ensure the safety of Namibians in Ukraine and their repatriation, should it become necessary.

“The Namibian government regards the safety of nationals as very important and the ministry is in constant contact with Namibian students in Ukraine and stakeholders, such as the Namibian Students Financial Assistance Fund,” it said.

Parents claim that their children are left on their own and are scattered all over Ukraine as they seek safety because there is no official communication by the government on how the students are going to be repatriated, aside from individual efforts from parents to seek the safe return of their children.

Ronny Dembers, an aggrieved parent, stressed that the government communicated that children should go to Poland, however the main challenge is that the students are left on their own to find their way to reach the borders.

“My daughter managed to reach the Romania border today [Sunday] where she was received through individual efforts via the Namibian Ambassadors to Austria and Finland, however students need to get a collective communication from our government by the responsible embassy in Russia, even through a reference letter to give the confidence to go to a foreign country,” he stressed.

Namibian Student in Ukraine Liaison, Martha Frans, indicated that there is no exact number of students still stranded in Ukraine.

“I am in constant communication with students as they make their way to Hungary, Poland or Romania, however communication is difficult because when the siren goes on, they have to go into hiding places, and sometimes there is no transport, while those in Ukraine they are trying to get out the safest possible way and give constant communication,” she noted.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency