European Union officials will close the main routes used by migrants travelling from the Middle East to Belarus, from where they must cross the border into Poland and Lithuania.
In recent months, the number of other people checking out to cross the EU’s eastern border has increased; the result, according to European officials, of a planned policy through the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to control its neighbors by ‘militarizing’ the politically sensitive factor of migration.
People are said to have paid several thousand dollars to download a Belarusian visa and succeed at the border with the EU, hoping to travel to Germany and apply for asylum. Most appear to come from Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, with as many as 8,000 in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq alone, according to a spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government.
As the climate cools and thousands of people, plus many young people, have to do so in makeshift camps, the scenario is leading to a humanitarian crisis. At least 8 other people have reportedly already died.
The Belarusian government denied being to blame, and its Foreign Ministry stated, “It’s Belarus’ fault. This is the result of the EU’s reckless policy that has led to the destruction of their countries of origin. “
However, the root of the problem seems to be closer to Minsk: the issue of Belarus sanctions following Lukashenko’s re-election in August 2020, which was highly controversial, and has since seriously repressed its warring parties, for example, when his regime forced Ryanair flight with blogger Raman Pratasevich to land in Minsk on May 23, 2021.
The EU has imposed 4 rounds of sanctions on Lukashenko’s government since last year, with 166 Americans and 15 entities now designated; A fifth package is expected to be presented in the coming days. In response, Belarus suspended its migration cooperation with the EU in June and reportedly allowed and encouraged thousands of migrants to cross the border.
In June, more than 400 people were detected illegally entering Lithuania from Belarus, six times the total number for the 2020 total, according to the EU border agency, Frontex. In July, the Lithuanian government registered 2,900 illegal border crossings from Belarus.
Poland experienced even higher figures. According to the center for European Reform, between early August and mid-October, there were more than 15,000 attempts to cross the border illegally. The Polish government is accused of pushing would-be migrants across the border; Journalists, aid and others have been banned from visiting the border.
Parallel to the sanctions against Belarus, the EU is seeking to curb the problem of migrants at their source. European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas has visited the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Iraq in recent days as part of an excursion to the main countries of which migrants are coming to or transiting to Belarus. This followed a warning by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on November 8 that the EU was exploring possible sanctions for “third-country airlines involved in human trafficking. “
Speaking in Beirut on November 12, Schinas praised the UAE and Turkey for their efforts to limit the entry of other people into Minsk and said, “I think our efforts are now bearing fruit. “
Both the UAE and Turkey have imposed restrictions on other people who can travel from their territory to Belarus.
Turkey’s Civil Aviation Authority announced on November 12 that Iraqi, Syrian and Yemeni citizens would not be allowed to fly from there to Belarus. Turkish Airlines has denied in the past that its flights to Belarus “constitute a floor for illegal immigration. “
Belarusian national airline Belavia said on Nov. 14 it would also ban Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians and Yemenis from their journey from Dubai to Minsk, following a resolution through UAE authorities. Syrian company Cham Wings Airlines also halted service to Minsk over the weekend and reports imply that Lebanese officials prevented Iraqis from flying from Beirut to Minsk.
The Iraqi government halted direct flights between Iraq and Belarus in August and also closed Belarusian consulates in Baghdad and Erbil. He said Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates provided corridors for their citizens to succeed in Belarus.
Flights are being prepared in the opposite direction, though. The Iraq government said it is planning to start repatriation flights later this week for its citizens who want to return from Belarus.
However, there will be doubts about how many will be able or willing to take up the opportunity. Reports from Human Rights Watch and others suggest Belarusian troops are forcing people at gunpoint to keep trying to cross the border into the E.U.
This was also noted in a recent report in The Atlantic. The migrants, wrote Anne Applebaum, “are not allowed to return to Minsk, even if they beg to be allowed to return home. The Belarusian border guards point guns in their faces, beat them, and tell them they have no option. And so they start walking westward.”