Keys to understanding the migration crisis on the border between Poland and Belarus

The arrival of hundreds of migrants to the border between Poland and Belarus It caused a diplomatic crisis between these two countries and Europe’s concern.

These five questions help to understand this complex situation:

What is the situation at the border?

Several thousand migrants who wanted to enter the European Union (EU) are blocked in the 400 kilometers of border that Belarus and Poland share, 2,000 of them in a makeshift camp in front of the Polish town of Kuznica.

In the group of migrants there are women and children, who live poorly in very difficult conditions. At night, temperatures drop below 0 ° Celsius.

According to the Polish authorities, there were groups that tried to force the passage at various points on the border on Tuesday.

In recent weeks, at least 10 people have died, seven of them on Polish territory, while trying to cross the border, according to the daily Gazeta Wyborcza.

Where do migrants come from?

They are people who have fled conflict and misery in the Middle East and Africa.

A large part of them are Kurds from northern Iraq. In the past three months, 1,600 people came to Belarus from Iraqi Kurdistan, thanks to a tourist visa, according to the Kurdistan Refugee Association.

There are also Syrians, who want to leave behind a country devastated by more than 10 years of war.

A Polish woman who is helping the migrants in the place assured that there are Yemenis, Ivorians and even Cubans in the group.

Why is the EU accusing Belarus?

Brussels accuses President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled with a heavy hand since 1994, of having organized this migration crisis to take revenge on international sanctions against him. These sanctions were imposed after his controversial victory at the polls in 2020, which was followed by massive demonstrations that were violently repressed. But Lukashenko denies it.

However, at the end of May, he had warned Europeans that his country would no longer stop “drug addicts and migrants” who want to go to Europe.

Poland accuses Belarus of granting transit visas to migrants from various countries to direct them to the border and even helping them with tools to cut the wire.

The situation is reminiscent of that experienced with Turkey, from where thousands of migrants arrived in Greece in 2015. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also wanted to play on European fear, in early 2020, when he let thousands of migrants pass towards the Greek border.

How does Poland react?

Warsaw denounces an “attack” by Minsk and has deployed a major device of 15,000 soldiers on the border.

It has also imposed a state of emergency in the border area and authorized soldiers to push back migrants.

Another important issue in this crisis is cooperation between Poland and the EU, whose relations are tense. Brussels has recently shown its concern about the situation of the rule of law in this member country.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, went to Warsaw on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Is Russia a solution or a problem?

Accused by Poland of orchestrating this crisis, Russia has for now opted for discretion.

The EU and Germany on Wednesday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin, aware of his influence in Belarus, to intervene to end this crisis.

Lukashenko’s regime, weakened by sanctions, relies heavily on financial, political and military support from Russia.

But Putin, who has been struggling for months to get Germany to start up a new gas pipeline, has turned a deaf ear and has limited himself to asking for dialogue.

The Russian authorities also urged Europe to help Belarus financially so that it can take care of the migrants.