Hundreds Of Migrants, Refugees Camped At Belarus-Poland Border

Hundreds of migrants and refugees are camped out in near freezing temperatures in Belarus after Polish security forces blocked people attempting to cross the border, with officials in Warsaw warning of a possible “armed” escalation in the coming days.

Poland has for months accused Belarus of trying to spark a major confrontation by encouraging migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa to cross into Central Europe and the wider European Union in revenge for Western sanctions on longtime President Alexander Lukashenko’s government.

On Monday, the situation escalated as hundreds of people headed towards the Polish border near Kuznica village. Some tried to breach a barbed wire fence using spades and other tools.

Poland deployed additional soldiers, border guards and police, preventing refugees and migrants forcing their way across the frontier.

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday accused Lukashenko’s government of “attacking” the border and the EU “in an unparalleled manner”.

“We currently have a camp of migrants who are blocked from the Belarusian side. There are about 1,000 people there, mostly young men. These are aggressive actions that we must repel, fulfilling our obligations as a member of the European Union,” he told reporters in Warsaw.