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Belarus, Western authorities trade accusations as to migration crisis in eastern EU

By Joanna Kedzierska Nov 25, 2021

Belarus, Western authorities trade accusations as to migration crisis in eastern EU

The humanitarian crisis triggered on the Polish-Belarusian border by a continuous inflow of refugees has been increasingly worsening given the ongoing cold weather. Thousands of migrants, including children, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, continue to be stranded between the Belarusian and Polish border with the death toll having exceeded 10 according to the media although humanitarian organizations say this number is higher. Meanwhile, the authorities in Belarus and the West continue to trade accusations as to the root of the crisis.

Poland’s official stance

Poland has accused Belarus of luring migrants by promising to facilitate their passage to the EU and thus destabilizing Europe.

Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has described the migration crisis at the border with Belarus as “the greatest attempt to destabilize Europe” since the Cold War. In a post on his Twitter account, Morawiecki accused the Belarusian President, Alexandr Lukashenka, of “launching a hybrid war against the EU”. He added that “Poland will not yield to blackmail and will do everything to defend the EU’s borders.”

At the same time, Poland has deployed more troops on the border with Belarus. The media has viewed this move not only as an attempt by Poland to “show a display of force against Belarus” but also as a measure that could escalate the situation. Moreover, Poland expects more troops to arrive from Estonia and the UK, the media said.

Belarus denies accusations

President Aleksandr Lukashenka admitted in a recent interview with the BBC that the migration crisis has escalated since Belarus stopped receiving western financing to build accommodation facilities for the migrants at its border and it could not afford to build these by itself. The funding was halted when the EU imposed sanctions against Belarus.

Nevertheless, Belarus has always denied having masterminding or staging the crisis.

“I don’t know who invited them. They are coming through Belarus, through the Mediterranean, the Balkans, maybe through other routes. They go to you [the EU], not to Belarus. They want to get to Germany through Belarus. Why should I stop them on the border if they are going to the UK and Germany?” Lukashenka said in the same interview.

Migrants at Belarus-Poland border/Photo Credit: AP Photo

Trap for migrants in full winter

While officials trade accusations, hundreds and thousands of migrants are trapped between Poland and Belarus and run the risk of not making it through the winter as temperatures fall increasingly lower. According to activists working near the Polish border, most migrants have come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

Many migrants have fled from war or violent conflicts in their countries of origin seeking safe shelter. However, the real situation is far from what they were told it would be by those who sold them “the trip to the EU.” When they try to cross the Belarusian-Polish border they are pushed back by Polish border officers and then by Belarusian border officers, back and forth. At the end of the day, migrants cannot enter either Poland or Belarus.

Nevertheless, some did manage to reach Germany as, according to German Federal Police, between August and mid-October over 4,300 migrants reached Germany from Poland.

Belarus fails to cope with migrants?

In the meantime, the excessive influx of migrants seems to have become a problem for Minsk too. Ales Zarembiuk, the head of the Warsaw-based NGO Belarusian House which is supportive of the Belarusian opposition, told DevelopmentAid that the number of migrants reaching Minsk exceeded the number the Belarusian regime is able to transport to the border.

“The airport in Minsk is full, the hotels are choked, you can see migrants everywhere on the streets of the capital,” he stated.