Migrant encampments in Belarus were cleared on Thursday, allowing those camped out to get out of the freezing temperatures and shelter in a government-run warehouse; however, the future for the migrants remains uncertain.
Despite the migrants’ movement, authorities in Belarus did not say where those unable to enter the European Union (EU) would go, according to The New York Times.
Escorted by an armed Belarusian security detail, some migrants walked down a half-mile road to the warehouse. Polish soldiers, however, remained in their formations at the border, preventing them from going further, the Times reported.
The West has accused Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko of inviting the migrants as a way of relating against the EU for sanctions imposed following the disputed 2020 election, though Belarus denies the accusations.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said over 400 Iraqis were registered for a repatriation flight on Thursday, accounting for just a small portion of the thousands of migrants that were in the encampment, according to the Times.
The Times added that few of the migrants were expected to leave voluntarily, still hopeful of making their way into the EU or just staying in Belarus.
“We were living worse than dogs,” said 35-year-old Masoud Mahdi, who, along with his pregnant wife and young daughter, spent 11 days at the camp, per the Times.
“Last night was impossible,” he added. “It was raining and freezing and we had to leave.”
Airlines had previously limited flights from the Middle East to Belarus in an effort to slow the movement of people to the EU’s border.
On Wednesday, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said that there was “no military threat” at his country’s border with Belarus. At the time of his remarks, some migrants were also seen leaving the camp via bus.
But on Tuesday, the situation had escalated as Polish border troops fired a water cannon at migrants who allegedly threw rocks at the troops.