Group of migrants storm from Belarus into Poland

By Ali Cura

MINSK, Belarus (AA) – A group of migrants including children and women stormed into Poland through the Belarusian border, the Belarusian State Border Committee said on Saturday.

Most of them who came to Belarus with a visa from Iraq continue to wait at Belarus' Bruzgi border point in Grodno despite cold weather conditions.

The committee said a group of about 100 people passed through the Bruzgi-Kuznitsa border point to the Polish side, adding that these people are on the Polish territory and waiting near the barbed fence installed by the Polish side.

Speaking at the camp along the border, Igor Butkevich, the vice-chairman of the commission, said there are over 2,000 people from different countries in the region, noting: “The situation is quite difficult. People are turning to EU countries.”

Butkevich underlined that the Belarusian side has provided the necessary assistance to meet the needs of the people.

- Aid tents in camp

Meanwhile, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave instructions to organize the delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid at the border.

The Belarusian army then set up tents where all the aid would be collected. In the tents, children and women will be warmed and fed, and the remaining aid will be distributed equally among other people. Electric generators were also installed in the camp.

Also, those who want to return to their country can apply to the authorities at the aid office opened in the camp.

EU countries bordering Belarus -- Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland -- have reported a dramatic spike in the number of irregular crossings since August.

NATO and the EU consider Belarus' approach toward migrants an effort to destabilize and undermine security in the bloc through non-military means.

According to the latest EU figures, 7,935 people tried to enter the bloc via the Belarus-EU border so far this year, up sharply from just 150 last year.

On Monday, Polish authorities stepped up border protection and mobilized more than 12,000 troops after a large group of migrants started marching toward the country's frontier with Belarus accompanied by the Belarusian military.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul