Kenya and Botswana are in talks with Ukraine over the return of their citizens held as prisoners of war after fighting on Russia's side in the war. Kenya is demanding the release and repatriation of five people, while Botswana is seeking the return of one of its citizens, Bloomberg reports.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi told lawmakers in Nairobi that President William Ruto had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the matter. He said the government was continuing diplomatic contacts with Ukrainian authorities and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“They claim they were recruited with false promises of work“, Mudavadi said.Kenya wants its captured citizens to be classified as victims of international human trafficking, not prisoners of war. According to Nairobi's position, the men were promised civilian jobs, including work as drivers, security guards or cooks, but after arriving in Russia they were forced to sign military contracts.
Dispute over the status of the captives
The differences between Kiev and African countries are mainly related to the status of the detainees. Kenya insists that they receive assistance as victims of trafficking, while Ukraine considers them prisoners of war. According to Bloomberg, Kiev believes that their return should take place as part of an exchange for Ukrainians detained by Russia.
According to data cited by the agency, Ukraine is holding at least 213 foreigners as prisoners of war, not counting Russians and North Koreans. Of these, 37 are citizens of African countries. Ukrainian authorities also report that Russia has recruited over 28,000 foreigners from 135 countries, and more than 5,000 of them have died. Ukrainian forces have captured fighters from 51 countries.
Kenya reports dozens of casualties
According to a report by Mudavadi to parliament, about 84 Kenyans have died or are missing, while another 34 are being treated in Russia. So far, 62 Kenyan citizens who fought in the war have been repatriated.
Russian authorities have not publicly acknowledged that they rely on foreign fighters and maintain that the country has enough soldiers. President Vladimir Putin has said that people volunteer and sign contracts. However, Amnesty International claims that thousands of foreigners have been lured through agents and advertisements promising them high salaries and jobs.
The Botswana government announced in August that it had prevented the recruitment of eight of its citizens at airports in the country, South Africa and Ethiopia. In Zimbabwe, several people, including two Russians, were detained on suspicion of trying to recruit citizens for the Russian army.
Sources: unian.net, the-star.co.ke, bloomberg.com