Togo nationals captured with Russian forces on Ukraine front: govt

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People from the small west African nation Togo have been "captured and detained" by Ukrainian armed forces after taking part "in military operations alongside Russian armed forces", Togolese authorities said Friday.

In a statement seen by AFP, Togo's foreign ministry said that the "majority of compatriots, in particular young students, had left Togo under alleged scholarships offered by structures claiming to be based in Russia".

The ministry called on citizens, "particularly young people who wish to pursue their studies abroad, to exercise utmost vigilance".

It "urges them to verify the authenticity of scholarship offers before making any commitment, and to contact the relevant departments or any other ministry concerned... to obtain reliable and secure information before any departure abroad, particularly to Russia".

In March, the Martin Luther King Movement (MMLK), Togo's leading human rights organisation, alerted the authorities to the case of a Togolese student captured on the battlefield and imprisoned in Ukraine.

"Having received his study visa at the Russian embassy in Cotonou, the compatriot left Togo for Russia on August 21, 2024," MMLK said in a statement.

"Arriving in Russia, he was forced to join the army to go to the front in Ukraine. It was there that he was seriously wounded, captured and thrown in prison," it said.

The press also reported in recent months several cases of African nationals, often students or former prisoners, notably from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Benin, fighting with Russian forces on the Ukrainian front.