Tensions are rising on the border between Belarus and Poland due to an increase in the number of migrants trying to reach the territory of the European Union.
Points of attention
- Proposals for creating a special border zone aim to control migrant actions and ensure the safety of border guards.
- International cooperation and joint actions are essential to address the conflicts and challenges on the border effectively.
- The situation highlights the importance of considering the interests of both the local population and migrants in resolving the crisis.
- The dangerous conditions on the border pose threats to both migrants and border guards, emphasizing the urgent need for secure measures.
Poland and the EU accused Belarus and Russia of creating migrant chaos
Surrounded by dense forests, a dozen people huddled near a spiked fence along the Belarusian border, waiting to climb over it or push aside the bars to head west into Poland.
On the other side, armed Polish border guards and soldiers paced back and forth, keeping a close eye on the group, which consisted mostly of young men from the Middle East, some of them scarred by razor wire cuts.
Poland and the EU have accused Belarus and Russia of trying to spread chaos from 2021 by pushing migrants across the border in what Warsaw calls a "hybrid war." At the same time, such accusations were denied in Minsk and Moscow.
As the Polish government said, the number of people arriving in the country is increasing.
As a result of the actions of the migrants, a border guard died on May 28, having been injured during clashes with them. Therefore, now the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to create a special zone to limit their actions.
The Polish-Belarusian border is extremely dangerous
Unfortunately, this border is not secure. The purpose of this zone is to ensure that no one will be subjected to the kind of attack that Polish soldiers are subjected to, Deputy Minister of Defense Pavel Zalevsky noted in an interview with Reuters.
Journalists emphasize that according to the current agreements, migrants can ask for temporary protection in Poland. One of those who managed to climb over the fence was Noaman Al-Khemyari, a 24-year-old graphic designer from Yemen.
He told Reuters that he and others built a ladder from wood, scraps of cloth and plastic bags, and climbed over the barrier at night. First, he applied for a Polish student visa from Yemen, which was rejected, then he went to the Russian Federation and Belarus, and later to the border, where he spent 22 days.
The Belarusians caught us. They beat us... Then they said "go away". They (smugglers) said it was so easy... They lied to us. If I had known that this was so, I would not have come, - said the man.
At the same time, according to the head of a local migrant support group, Agata Klyuchevska, any return to more restrictive measures could lead to even more people being stuck in the Belarusian zone and force volunteers to secretly go out to help arriving migrants.
