The Ins and Outs of the Migrant Crisis at the White-Wave Border: What Are the Roots? Where is it going?

Source: China News Network

According to the BBC Chinese Network, the migration crisis at the polish and Belarusian border continues to ferment, evolving into a major contradiction in East-West European relations in 2021.

In the second half of 2021, tens of thousands of migrants who want to go to EU countries appeared on the border between Poland and Belarus, and the Polish side deployed troops to the border, closed the border passage, and strictly prevented immigration.

The migrants, many women and children, tried to cross the border in wild forests where nighttime temperatures dropped below zero degrees Celsius, and some died instantly. Both the United Nations Human Rights and UNHCR have spoken out about the crisis.

Many senior officials in Western countries accuse Belarus of trying to use refugees to attack EU countries, including Poland, and then accuse Russia of being the "mastermind behind the crisis".

What is the context of the migration crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland? What's the next step likely to go?

What is the origin of the escalation of contradictions between Belarus and the EU?

The escalation of tensions between the EU and Belarus began with a political dispute, sparked by the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.

Belarus officially announced President Lukashenko's sixth re-election, winning the support of 80% of voters. But the country's opposition accused Lukashenko of "suspected election fraud." The European Union then announced that it would not recognize Lukashenko's successful re-election and introduced a series of sanctions against Belarus.

On May 23, an Ryanair Irish airliner flying from Greece to Lithuania made an emergency landing at Minsk Airport in Belarus due to "bomb threats." Subsequently, Belarusian authorities arrested a Belarusian opposition figure who took the flight. This move has provoked strong criticism from European countries.

European politicians have called on the EU and NATO to step in. The EU then imposed tougher sanctions on the Belarusian government. The contradictions between the two sides have further escalated.

Why is the border migration crisis intensifying?

Since the rise of the European-Belarusian contradiction in 2020, belarusian authorities have eliminated or greatly simplified the tourist visa application requirements for 76 countries entering Belarus. These include many countries affected by armed conflict, including Syria, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2021, Belarus has significantly increased the number of flights to the Middle East. Since then, more and more migrants or refugees have gathered in the forests of the Polish border in Belarus. The EU has accused Lukashenko of encouraging migrants or refugees to come to Belarus.

Since the summer of 2021, Iraq has been one of the main departure points for migrants. In September, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Joseph Borrell sought negotiations with Iraqi authorities to reduce the number of Flights from Iraq to Belarus.

Now, the largest number of people trying to enter the EU in this way are Kurds from Syria.

How do migrants cross borders?

At the beginning of the migration crisis, Polish and Lithuanian border guards allowed people to pass through and sent them to special reception facilities. At the same time, the foreign ministries of the two countries immediately accused Belarus of organizing this new phenomenon.

When hundreds of thousands of people began to try to cross the border every day, Poland and Lithuania stopped allowing them to enter and began to reinforce the border with barbed wire.

The only way to cross the border from Belarus to Poland and Lithuania is now illegal, but many are willing to try.

They either broke through the barrier of border guards or were still searching for unsuspecting areas. The border between Belarus and Poland is about 400 kilometers long, and a large part of it is forest or swampland.

Poland uses high-pressure water cannons and tear gas for migrants trying to cross the border. Poland also claimed that its military and police had been injured in the clashes.

Where do immigrants end up?

Poland and Lithuania are, however, transit countries for refugees and migrants. Many people intend to go to Germany, France, Austria and the Netherlands, where they may have relatives or friends acquaintances.

According to German authorities, at least 5,000 people have arrived in Germany through Belarus. This, in turn, sparked EU resentment over Poland's immigration issue.

There are many women and children among refugees and migrants on the Polish-Belarusian border, and there is a serious humanitarian crisis in the area.

Will refugees and migrants remain in Belarus?

Yes, but the Belarusian authorities have never reported their exact number. According to Minsk residents, hundreds of people have set up camps in shopping malls, underground passages and entrances to residential buildings throughout the city.

Perhaps because of this, the Belarusian authorities also began to tighten conditions for arrival in the country in mid-November 2021, fearing that the situation would spiral out of control.

In particular, they stopped issuing visas at airports for citizens of a number of countries, including Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Yemen.

Has Russia played a role in the migration crisis?

Senior officials in Western countries accuse Lukashenko of creating a refugee crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian authorities categorically rejected the allegations. The president's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, called the accusations irresponsible and unacceptable.

Still, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Putin to intervene in the crisis, which the EU sees as a "hybrid attack" aimed at destabilizing the EU.

But Putin made a statement denying Russia's involvement. He accused that it was the Western countries led by the United States that launched wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places, which is the root cause of the refugee problem.