Topline
Migrants face grim conditions amid a standoff between Poland and Belarus at the border crossing on the eastern edge of the United Union, trapping thousands of people from the Middle East and Asia hoping to travel further into Europe.
Key Facts
At least 4,000 people are stranded in the Polish border town of Kuznica, where the European Union has accused Belarus of manufacturing a migrant crisis by encouraging people entering Belarus to cross into neighboring countries.
Detractors say the move is meant as retaliation for EU sanctions imposed against Belarus over the country’s alleged human rights abuses, including rerouting a commercial plane and arresting a dissident journalist onboard named Roman Protasevich, which drew international outcry.
At least 10 people have died, including a 14-year-old Kurdish boy emigrating from Iraq who froze to death, Polish newspapers reported Thursday.
Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have reported a jump in the number of migrants entering from the border crossing they share with Belarus over the past few months, officials say, with European Vice President Margaritis Schinas describing the influx as “a hybrid attack” by Belarus that “weaponizes human suffering.”
EU members Poland and Lithuania have both declared states of emergency on their borders, while human rights groups have criticized the countries over the lack of food, shelter and medical attention available at the campsites.
On Thursday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to cut off gas deliveries to Europe that pass through Belarus from Russia if the EU imposes any sanctions over the border standoff.
