Two prominent Ugandan nationals have offered to airlift Africans including Kenyans in China back to their motherland following reports of xenophobic attacks against them.
Ugandan politician-cum-musician Robert Kyangulai alias Bobi Wine together with US-based business tycoon Neil Nelson of Atlantic BlackStar says they are ready to bring back 285 Africans subjected to racism in China.
In a letter to Uganda’s Parliament, he said that though the Chinese government has committed to ensuring all immigrants are treated fairly, they are still suffering.
Therefore, he noted “Together with my friend Neil Nelson, CEO Atlanta BlackStar, we are offering to airlift Africans and African-Americans being subjected to inhumane treatment in parts of China. Only if we get an African nation and/or the US willing to receive them.”
“I now write to request the Republic of Uganda accepts to receive these people,” the letter added.
Wine added that he is working with his friends across the world to mobilize resources to enable him take care of the Ugandans as well as other Africans who are in quarantine in China.
He said that they have a plan to “airlift 285 people using a private chartered flight (Quantum Jets Airbus A330-200).”
A week ago, a disturbing video of Africans being mistreated in Guangzhou city in China emerged sparking uproar.
Kenyans gave a tall tale of discrimination which has now seen them evicted from their houses forcing them to spend cold nights in the streets.
The discrimination is so bad they couldn’t get services in some shopping malls. Some have locked themselves in their houses on fear of being attacked for their “skin colour” in a new wave of xenophobic attacks where African citizens are being accused of spreading coronavirus.
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry led by Raychelle Omamo on receiving the complaints last week assured Kenyans that “the government of China takes a serious view of the situation, and that the local authorities in Guangzhou have been tasked to take immediate action to safeguard the legitimate rights of Africans”.
The issue drew the attention of the African Union chaired Moussa Faki who asked the Chinese Ambassador to AU AU Liu Yuxi to act on the matter.
The African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki summoned Chinese Ambassador To the AU AU Liu Yuxi to act on the matter.
Following the reports, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian on April 12 said that China has zero-tolerance to discrimination.
“All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination,” Lijian stated.
The Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Affairs ministry said authorities in cities where xenophobia has been reported are working on “improving their working method”.
