Another migrant found dead near Poland-Belarus border
December 8, 2021
Polish authorities reported finding the body of a man and a Nigerian passport at a forest near the border with Belarus as groups of migrants remain stranded in poor conditions.
Polish police said soldiers found the body on TuesdayImage: Policja Podlaska/REUTERS
Around a dozen people have been found dead along the border. Rights and aid groups warn the toll could be even higher.
"The body was found in a forest near Olchowka in the Narewka commune yesterday," local police said on Wednesday.
The soldiers found the body of the man, a backpack and a Nigerian passport.
EU migrants at the Polish border
02:52
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Migrants crossing border
Polish border guards said on Wednesday that a group of 35 migrants forced their way across the border overnight, also saying that the Belarusian military had helped them cross. They were all caught and sent back.
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Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said his government on Wednesday approved the deployment of up to 150 soldiers to aid Poland in stopping migrants seeking entry from Belarus.
If the parliament approves the plan, the Czech Republic will become the third country not directly involved in the standoff to offer sending personnel to the Poland-Belarus border after Estonia and Britain.
Groups of migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have been stuck in dire conditions as they seek to get into the European Union territory from Belarus to Poland.
Earlier this week, Poland accused Belarus of aggravating the situation at the border by throwing firecrackers or taking other actions. Belarus denied the accusations.
Meanwhile, Lithuania on Tuesday extended a state of emergency along its border with Belarus until mid-January.
Migrants stranded in Belarus face stark choice
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Thousands still at Belarus border, says Poland
With freezing cold weather and a political standoff between Minsk and Brussels, some of the migrants returned to their home countries, while others remained in limbo.
The Polish government estimates some 7,000 migrants are still in Belarus.
"We estimate that the Lukashenko regime sent back about 3,000 migrants to Iraq and Syria, but considerably more, about 7,000, are still on the territory of Belarus," intelligence services spokesperson Stanislaw Zaryn told the Polish PAP news agency on Tuesday.
What next for migrants stuck in Belarus?
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has called on Germany to accept migrants, a move Berlin says it has rejected. The EU is exploring possible repatriations. Meanwhile, concerns are mounting about a COVID outbreak.
Image: Kacper Pempel/REUTERS
Lukashenko's gamble
"I am waiting for the EU's answer to the question about the 2,000 refugees," Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko told officials on Monday. He said he had asked the European Union, and Germany in particular, to "take these people off our hands." However, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear that the situation in Belarus must be solved at the European level.
Image: Kacper Pempel/REUTERS
Anxiety amid COVID outbreak
It's still unclear what will happen to the 2,000 people who have been housed in a warehouse in Bruzgi, near the border with Poland. Adding to the uncertainty is the growing concern about a COVID-19 outbreak in the temporary sleeping shelter. So far, one case has been confirmed among the migrants. Lukashenko has stressed he will not prevent the migrants from continuing their journey to the EU.
Image: Andrei Pokumeiko/BelTA/REUTERS
Migrants in desperate need of medicine, aid
Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO's Europe director, visited the logistics hall tuned dormitory earlier this week and pledged to send medicine and relief supplies. According to authorities, around 100 migrants have already been taken to nearby hospitals, including people suffering from pneumonia.
Image: Kacper Pempel/REUTERS
Stranded in Belarus
The European Union has accused Lukashenko of helping to bring migrants from crisis regions like Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, sending them to the EU's external border to put pressure on the West. Poland and the neighboring Baltic countries have closed their borders, leaving many of the migrants stuck in Belarus.
Image: Andrei Pokumeiko/BelTA/REUTERS
Restricted border area
At least 375 people allegedly tried to enter the EU from Belarus on Wednesday, according to the Polish Border Guard agency, who said they were sent back to Belarus. Five migrants were hospitalized for exhaustion. Police said they have arrested three suspected human traffickers, but since journalists are not allowed into the border area, this information could not be verified.
Image: Policja Podlaska/REUTERS
EU seeking repatriations
A spokesperson for the EU's foreign policy chief said the bloc was in contact with the Belarusian Foreign Ministry to clarify how migrants could be repatriated to their countries of origin. In the last two weeks, two groups of Iraqis — some 600 people — already returned to Iraq's northern Kurdish-run region on special flights. Some spoke of abuse suffered at the hands of Belarusian authorities.
