https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:32:10 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-the-suwalki-gap-and-putins-gambit-for-prigozhin/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:30:59 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657986 The Prigozhin saga is unprecedented in Russian history. In the past, if a highly placed personality lost the trust of the Kremlin and were declared enemy of the state, the price would be dire. Prigozhin appears to be an exception. While his mutiny had many military personnel killed, including several pilots, the Wagner boss did not face the consequences of his actions and walked free from prosecution. In fact, Putin granted Prigozhin a second chance, demanding that the Wagner units settle in Belarus. This request gave the signal to Prigozhin that his services were still needed. The Wagner mercenaries, renowned for their war expertise, represent a formidable, disciplined, and motivated force akin to an iron fist. Even though they are mercenaries, […]]]> 657986 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230624-weighing-expansion-brics-increasingly-draws-membership-requests/ Sat, 24 Jun 2023 15:36:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=646894 The BRICS group, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, continues to attract applications from numerous countries as it explores expansion opportunities, Anadolu Agency reports. Anadolu compiled the developments regarding the enlargement process of BRICS. Amid the search for a multipolar world, Brazil, Russia, India and China laid the foundations in 2009, with South Africa joining in 2010. BRICS, while criticising the unequal structures and resolutions of the Group of Seven (G-7) and the UN Security Council, calls for reforms in international structures and norms to establish a multipolar order. With a combined population representing nearly 42 per cent of the world's population, the BRICS countries control 18 per cent of global exports. The collective gross domestic product (GDP) of […]]]> 646894 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230423-israel-halts-urgent-immigration-program-for-nationals-of-russia-belarus/ Sun, 23 Apr 2023 11:20:18 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630768 Israel canceled an emergency program offering Russian and Belarusian nationals an expedited path to Israeli citizenship, local media reported on Saturday, Anadolu reports. The fast-tracked program for immigration to Israel, or Aliyah, will remain open to Ukrainian immigrants, the daily Haaretz said on the decision, which comes nearly 14 months since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February last year. Haaretz reported that the number of Russian nationals seeking Israeli citizenship has spiked amid concerns of an expanded military draft, along with human rights violations. Tel Aviv's latest move will leave fresh arrivals seeking to make Aliyah from Russia and Belarus without legal residency status for months and limit their access to employment, housing, and health care. Outside of […]]]> 630768 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230218-zelensky-ukraine-will-acquire-missile-drone-interception-system/ Sat, 18 Feb 2023 11:46:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=615876 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced during the Munich Security Conference on Friday that Ukraine's acquisition of an Israeli missile interception system to use against Russia "is only a matter of time". He added that his country needs to acquire the David's Sling air defence system from Israel to use against the Russian Goliath. The David's Sling system is a system for intercepting medium-range missiles and drones. Ukraine has requested to obtain missile interception systems several times since the start of the war with Russia, but Israel has so far refused. During his speech, Zelensky attacked Iran for providing aid to Russia and said Iran would use the experience of using drones in Ukraine to improve its performance and use it […]]]> 615876 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230127-four-yemenis-freeze-to-death-while-fleeing-to-europe/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 12:03:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=609690 Four Yemenis froze to death on the border of Belarus while trying to immigrate to Europe, local media sources have reported. Two were named by the Yemeni Embassy in Moscow, as Tawfiq Ali, and Omar Ahmed Al-Hushairi. Both died on the international border between Poland and Belarus "due to the very low temperature." The other victims were mentioned by the Yemeni embassy in Berlin. The death of four Yemenis is just the latest in a series of tragedies involving migrants. There have been frequent reports of the death of Yemenis during their attempts to immigrate to Europe. While some drown, others die of extreme cold and even more pass away through other causes. READ: UNESCO lists Yemen Kingdom of Saba on […]]]> 609690 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221222-israel-attracts-highest-number-of-immigrants-in-decades/ Thu, 22 Dec 2022 14:01:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=602348 Over 70,000 people from 95 different countries migrated to Israel in 2022 with the support of the Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jerusalem Post has reported. This is the highest number in two decades, and a dramatic increase over 2021, when an estimated 28,600 immigrants settled in the occupation state. According to Jewish Agency figures, published this morning, most immigrants this year are from Russia and Ukraine. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, 37,364 Jews arrived from Russia and 14,680 went from Ukraine. Other notable numbers include 3,500 from North America; 2,049 from France; 1,993 from Belarus; 1,498 from Ethiopia; 985 from Argentina; 526 from Britain; 426 from South Africa; and 356 from […]]]> 602348 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220302-ukraine-reminds-us-not-to-trust-the-west-or-give-up-nuclear-development/ Wed, 02 Mar 2022 09:17:49 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=539389 The announcement this week of the constitutional amendment enabling Belarus to host Russian nuclear weapons following a disputed referendum, could see the country having weapons of mass destruction on its territory for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union. This follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for his country's nuclear deterrence forces to be put on high alert, raising fears of a new Cold War as the conflict in Ukraine shows no sign of de-escalating. The development in Belarus not only ushers in a return of nuclear weapons to the forefront of international security challenges, but also offers fresh perspectives on Ukraine and its nuclear disarmament in light of the "full-scale" Russian invasion and its possible outcome. […]]]> 539389 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220209-renewed-scrutiny-on-europes-border-push-backs-following-death-of-19-refugees-in-turkey/ Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:50:20 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=534218 As hundreds took to the streets in Athens and Istanbul over the weekend to protest the Greek's government's role in the death of 19 refugees, the controversial pushback policy used across Europe is under renewed scrutiny. Last week the migrants' bodies were found at the Turkish border town of Ispala in the Erdirne Province of north-western Turkey. They had been stripped of their clothes and shoes and had frozen to death as the worst snowstorm in a decade hit the two countries. Turkish authorities said Greek border guards had pushed them back over the border as they tried to enter Europe, a systematic practice which Athens has become infamous for, and which the global crisis information source, ReliefWeb, notes is […]]]> 534218 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220209-belarus-president-denies-sending-troops-to-syria/ Wed, 09 Feb 2022 09:45:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=534104 The President of Belarus denied on Tuesday reports claiming that his country intends to send 200 soldiers to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces there. Alexander Lukashenko told the Belarusian Security Council that the reports that the Russian government had decided to send Belarus forces to Syria were not true. "According to the current law, this is not possible without a presidential decree," explained Lukashenko. "I did not send anyone [to Syria]." He pointed out that the Syrian regime had requested medical help from Belarus long ago, but this is not possible at the present time due to the coronavirus pandemic situation in his country. "We have nothing to do there. If there is a need for doctors, we will […]]]> 534104 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220208-syria-belarus-to-send-200-troops-to-serve-alongside-russians/ Tue, 08 Feb 2022 19:51:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=534057 Belarus will deploy up to 200 troops to Syria to serve alongside Russian forces in the country, according to a Russian government document released Monday, a move strongly condemned by Belarus' opposition leader, AP reports. According to the report, a draft agreement between Russia and its ally, Belarus, endorsed by Russian Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, says that the Belarusian troops will work to provide "humanitarian assistance" to the population outside combat zones. The document states that Belarusian troops will act under operational control of the Russian military in Syria when deployed to the country. On the other hand, in an apparent effort to deflect such criticism, Lukashenko said that he hadn't authorised any deployment yet. "I haven't sent anyone there," […]]]> 534057 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220116-iraq-lithuania-seek-to-end-crisis-of-stranded-migrants-on-eu-borders/ Sun, 16 Jan 2022 14:55:01 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=527162 Iraq and Lithuania held talks on Sunday to discuss ways of ending the crisis of Iraqi migrants stranded on Belarusian-Lithuanian border, reported Anadolu Agency. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with his Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis, who arrived in the capital Baghdad earlier Sunday. "Iraq was able to return 4,000 Iraqis, who were stranded on Belarus' border with Lithuania and Poland," Hussein told a press conference following his talks with Landsbergis. He said there are still some Iraqi migrants stranded on the border, without giving an exact number. "They will be returned to Iraq voluntarily upon their approval," he added. Read: Belarus forcefully deports wanted Syrians back to Assad regime Landsbergis, for his part, said Iraq was the first country […]]]> 527162 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211226-belarus-forcefully-deports-wanted-syrians-back-to-assad-regime/ Sun, 26 Dec 2021 11:15:08 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=522507 Belarus has reportedly forced Syrian refugees to return to Syria despite being wanted by the regime of Bashar al-Assad, in an effort to rid itself of the thousands of asylum seekers trafficked to the country in recent months. Since September, migrants and refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq were trafficked to Minsk by a consortium of smugglers and airlines, and have amassed at Belarus's border with Poland and other nearby states. Thousands of the migrants were held at Belarus's border with Poland in particular, where Belarusian forces reportedly beat, abused, and forced them to cross the border in harsh weather conditions. Warsaw has accused Minsk of attempting to cause a confrontation by using the asylum seekers to cross […]]]> 522507 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211221-un-urges-belarus-poland-to-deal-with-appalling-border-situation/ Tue, 21 Dec 2021 20:50:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=521894 Following interviews with migrants and refugees in Poland fleeing Belarus after being forced to cross the border, the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday called on both countries to urgently address the "appalling situation", reports Anadolu Agency. Belarus has refused to allow officials of the UN Rights Office to visit the border area, office spokeswoman Liz Throssell told a press conference. While Poland allowed one of its teams to visit the country from November 29 to December 3, Throssell said it was not permitted to enter the restricted Polish border area where the human drama is unfolding. "Those interviewed describe dire conditions on both sides of the border," he said. The majority claimed that while in Belarus they were beaten […]]]> 521894 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211221-turkey-supported-allies-primarily-poland-in-belarus-migrant-crisis/ Tue, 21 Dec 2021 20:25:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=521892 Turkey has supported its allies, primarily Poland, during the migrant crisis with Belarus, the Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday, reports Anadolu Agency. "As a country hosting more than 5 million refugees and the largest number in the world since 2014, Turkey is the best country to understand the difficulties that our ally Poland and other countries are witnessing," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Budapest at the sixth meeting between foreign ministers of Turkey and the Visegrad Group of four Central European nations. He said the situation in the Balkans was "concerning" as stability and prosperity in the region are vital for both Turkey and the European Union. Cavusoglu said the Visegrad Group, EU, and all relevant countries must work together […]]]> 521892 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211218-iraq-announces-evacuation-of-3817-citizens-stranded-in-belarus/ Sat, 18 Dec 2021 16:54:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=520860 The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday announced the evacuation of 3,817 of its illegal immigrants stranded at the Belarus border via ten emergency flights. "Within one month, we managed to conduct ten exceptional flights to return those wishing to return voluntarily," the ministry's Spokesperson Ahmed Al-Sahaf disclosed in a statement, of which Anadolu Agency received a copy. "The evacuation flight to return those wishing to return voluntarily carried 258 citizens for this day, while we have succeeded so far in returning 3,817 Iraqis. Five hundred eighteen passing passports have been granted so far, we are coordinating for humanitarian field support within Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland,"  the spokesperson confirmed. "Depending on the efforts of the Iraqi embassies in […]]]> 520860 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211211-un-2021-migrant-death-toll-tops-4400-surpassing-preceding-year/ Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:46:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=518940 More than 4,470 migrants died globally in 2021, after dozens were reportedly killed when a truck packed with passengers crashed in Mexico, lifting it above last year's fatality count, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) said on Friday. "COVID-19 has meant an unprecedented decrease in human mobility, but the Missing Migrants Project still documents deaths almost every day," said Frank Laczko, director of IOM's Global Migration Data Analysis Centre, in a statement and reported by Anadolu News Agency. Globally, the number of deaths this year is already more than the 4,236 recorded in 2020, the IOM said. More than 45,400 deaths and disappearances have been recorded since 2014, the IOM's Missing Migrants Project said, making this an especially deadly year […]]]> 518940 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211206-eu-spending-millions-on-surveillance-technology-to-turn-refugees-back/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 12:12:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=517228 In a new report the Guardian has mapped out the surveillance and deterrent systems being used on EU borders to deter refugees. Last month Poland approved a $398 million, 18-foot-high wall, with cameras and motion sensors to be built along its border with Belarus. It is also sending automated texts to people telling them not to attempt to cross from Belarus. Last year Frontex awarded a $121 million contract for the Heron and Hermes drones which operate over the Mediterranean and can be watched from the Frontex HQ in Warsaw. The drones are manufactured by two Israeli companies and have been used in the Gaza Strip. Mobile radars, thermal cameras on vehicles, heartbeat detectors and CO2 monitors are used to spot movement and find […]]]> 517228 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211202-belarus-syria-airlines-to-be-sanctioned-by-eu/ Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:05:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=516871 The European Union is planning to impose sanctions on airlines belonging to Belarus and Syria, as thousands of migrants and refugees continue to be trafficked to eastern Europe and amass at the Polish border. According to the news outlet, Bloomberg, which cited two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the Belarusian national carrier, Belavia, and the Syrian airline, Cham Wings, are set to be sanctioned, if approved by the EU member states this week. The two companies are amongst 17 individuals and 11 entities which are on the list to potentially be subject to European sanctions. The other entities include the Belarusian nitrogen fertiliser producer, Grodno Azot, and oil producer, Belarusneft, and individuals include Belarusian border officials and judges. READ: […]]]> 516871 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211201-on-the-authoritarian-noes/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:39:58 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=516722 Governments are described as authoritarian when they do not grant people the right to choose them freely and change them freely through periodic and fair elections when they prevent the free circulation of information and refrain from being transparent in their management of public affairs, and when they evade respect for the citizen's personal, civil and political rights and freedoms such as freedom of belief, expression, opinion, and organisation, instead of bargaining with them on their economic and social rights and right to security. No to free public space, no to free media, no to political parties that seek a free and peaceful transfer of power, no to civil society that monitors, asks and holds rulers accountable, no to religious, […]]]> 516722 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211129-dont-use-migrants-as-pawns-in-political-strategies-pope-tells-governments/ Mon, 29 Nov 2021 20:34:46 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=516213 Pope Francis said on Monday that migrants were being exploited as "pawns" on a political chessboard in an apparent reference to the crisis at the Belarus border, Reuters reports. Thousands of migrants are stuck on the European Union's eastern frontier in what the EU says is a crisis Minsk engineered by distributing Belarusian visas in the Middle East, flying them in, and letting them go to the border. In a video message for the Geneva-based International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) 70th anniversary, Francis said denying migrants their basic dignity was against the tenets of most religions. "Even more regrettable is the fact that migrants are increasingly being used as bargaining chips, as pawns on a chessboard, victims of political rivalries," […]]]> 516213 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211125-a-tatar-restaurant-cooks-meals-for-migrants-in-polands-freezing-forests/ Thu, 25 Nov 2021 23:12:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=514730 Lilla Swierblewska, a minority Muslim Tatar from Eastern Poland, always wanted migrants to feel at home in her country. Now, having mobilised the kitchen of a restaurant she opened in Bialystok a year ago, she is cooking to support the cause. That means dinners of turkey meatballs in carrot sauce and chicken with green beans, pasteurised and sealed in jars, then shipped to charities going to the forests of Poland to help migrants who have crossed from Belarus, Reuters reports. Hundreds have been left stranded for weeks in Poland's forests. Humanitarian agencies say at least 13 migrants have died at the border, where many have suffered in the cold with little food or water. "I have to ask myself, what […]]]> 514730 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211123-poland-says-migrants-still-crossing-from-belarus-despite-steps-by-minsk/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:48:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=513935 Poland said, on Tuesday, that groups of migrants had made new attempts to cross over the border from Belarus and it would be premature to say that the worst of the crisis on the European Union's eastern frontier was over, Reuters reports. Border Guard spokesperson, Anna Michalska, said about 50 migrants tried to cross on Monday evening, with 18 briefly making it across the barbed wire barrier. Another group of similar size gathered but ultimately gave up an attempt to cross at another location. European countries have, for months, accused Belarus of engineering the migrant crisis by flying in migrants from the Middle East and pushing them to try to illegally cross into the EU via Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. […]]]> 513935 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211122-belarus-president-it-is-absolutely-possible-our-soldiers-force-refugees-to-cross-to-eu/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:49:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=513075 Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, has admitted it is "absolutely possible" that his forces helped migrants and refugees cross into neighbouring states such as Poland, as the crisis continues to amass at the country's borders. Over the past few months, migrants and refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq have been mounting at Belarus's border with Poland and other nearby states, after being trafficked to Minsk by a consortium of smugglers and airlines. Since then, thousands of the migrants were held at the Belarus's border with Poland, in particular, where Belarusian forces have reportedly been beaten, abused, and, at times, forced them to cross the border in harsh weather conditions. In a controversial interview with the BBC last week, Lukashenko […]]]> 513075 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211122-pa-following-up-on-palestine-refugees-at-poland-belarus-border/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 10:24:49 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512662 The Palestinian Authority said yesterday that it is following up on the issue of stranded Palestinian refugees at the Polish-Belarusian border, Wafa news agency reported. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, the PA said: "Based on the directions of Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, the PA ambassador to Belarus is following up on the issue of Palestinian refugees 24 hours a day." The statement also said that the "Palestinian embassy is exerting much efforts to keep in contact with the Palestinians stranded in the buffer zone between Poland and Belarus." However, the statement pointed out that the exact number of stranded Palestinian refugees is not known. "The refugees have tourist visas or study visas," the statement […]]]> 512662 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211121-poland-says-belarus-keeps-bringing-migrants-to-its-border/ Sun, 21 Nov 2021 13:46:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512616 Poland accused Belarus on Sunday of continuing to ferry migrants to its border, despite clearing camps close to the frontier earlier this week, as the country's prime minister started a tour of Baltic states to seek support in the crisis, Reuters reported. Europe accuses Belarus of flying in thousands of people from the Middle East and pushing them to cross into the European Union, which has been at odds with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko since a disputed election last year. Minsk, which denies fomenting the crisis, cleared a migrant camp near the border on Thursday and started to repatriate some people to Iraq in an apparent change in tack in the conflict that has mushroomed into a major East-West confrontation. 'It's deadly': Syrian doctor in […]]]> 512616 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211119-its-deadly-syrian-doctor-in-poland-warns-migrants-against-journey-through-belarus/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:16:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512216 Syrian doctor, Kassam Shahadah, settled in Poland as a war refugee three years ago and now volunteers on its border to help desperate Middle East migrants trying to enter after a perilous trek through freezing forest, Reuters reports. He feels lucky to have won residence through asylum. And though he understands the same aspirations to life in the European Union in the new wave of migrants, he has seen enough in his volunteer work to advise them: Don't do it this way. "Every child dreams of a better life, of peace and everything that gives him joy and happiness. Everybody would want to escape from that country … It is hell," Shahadah said, referring to his homeland from which some […]]]> 512216 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211118-humanitarian-tragedy-at-borders-between-belarus-poland-lithuania-alarms-red-cross-societies/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 21:50:41 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512152 The two global Red Cross societies, on Thursday, expressed alarm at the "humanitarian tragedy" unfolding at the borders between Belarus, Poland and Lithuania, as thousands of migrants hoping to cross into the EU freeze in camps, Anadolu News Agency reports. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said at least 10 people are known to have died, including a 14-year-old boy, due to hypothermia. "The situation is set to worsen with the most serious winter weather yet to arrive," the IFRC—the world's biggest humanitarian organization—and the ICRC— which protects victims of conflicts in countries as well as across borders—said in a joint statement. READ: Poland faces months of […]]]> 512152 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211118-premiers-of-poland-iraqs-krg-discuss-migrant-crisis-over-phone/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:51:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512148 Poland's Prime Minister, on Thursday, held a phone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), discussing the migrant crisis at the Belarus border, Anadolu News Agency reports. Mateusz Morawiecki and Masrour Barzani agreed that the migrants were deceived by "organised human traffickers" and described the migrants as "victims of organised crime," according to a statement by the KRG. During the phone conversation, they also evaluated measures taken at airports and borders, as well as efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of migrants to their homes. Since August, the EU countries bordering Belarus—Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland—have reported a dramatically growing number of irregular crossings. READ: Poland faces months of migration pressure from Belarus, Minister says Over […]]]> 512148 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211118-there-are-no-friends-for-kurdish-migrants-on-the-polish-border/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:57:10 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512132 US President Joe Biden is worried, and his worry is shared by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Not, I might add, because of the "attempted assassination" of Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi last week. Their feelings, along with those of all of the other US, European and Middle Eastern officials, were deeper than mere concern, condemnation, denunciation and allegations of terrorism. They went as far as the UN Security Council, which is known for its usual silence about Israel's genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people, and its lack of meaningful condemnation of Israel's illegal settlements. In fact, the Security Council's silence has also been deafening regarding the sectarian forced expulsions in the Diyala Governorate of eastern Iraq in recent weeks […]]]> 512132 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211117-poland-faces-months-of-migration-pressure-from-belarus-minister-says/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:38:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=511953 The crisis on Poland's border with Belarus will last months, the Polish Defence Minister said on Wednesday, as several thousand migrants remained stranded on the EU's eastern frontier in what the bloc calls a deliberate blackmail campaign by Minsk. Nine Polish service members were injured on Tuesday and Poland used water cannons against small groups of migrants throwing stones across the barbed-wire border fence, Reuters reports. Belarusian state news agency, BELTA, said on Tuesday evening border guards had started moving some migrants to a reception centre away from the frontier. Belarusian and Polish border guards said on Wednesday around 2,000 migrants remained at the fence. European countries accuse Minsk of flying in thousands of migrants, mainly from the Middle East […]]]> 511953 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211116-desperate-father-searches-for-daughter-trapped-at-belarus-border-for-25-days/ Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:46:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=511513 Anguished relatives of migrants trapped in the forest along the Poland-Belarus border are arriving in Polish border towns in the hope of helping their loved ones escape as violence from border guards escalates and temperatures plummet. Among them is a Syrian living in Sweden who is desperate to find his daughter, Hilda Naaman, a 25-year-old doctor who was on her way to Europe from Syria, Reuters reports. The man, who called himself Abou Elias, said she has spent the last 25 days on the border hungry, thirsty, and recovering from beatings by the Belarusian border guard. "She can't walk anymore. My daughter's nails were pulled off. Belarusians came at night, beating them with an electric stick … telling them to […]]]> 511513 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211116-iraq-to-repatriate-citizens-from-belarus-poland-border/ Tue, 16 Nov 2021 15:30:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=511478 The Iraqi government is to repatriate its citizens stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland, as the migrant crisis continues under deteriorating and harsh conditions. Over the past few months, migrants and refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq have been mounting at Belarus's border with Poland and other nearby states. They were trafficked to Minsk by a consortium of smugglers and companies such as the sanctioned Syrian regime airline Cham Wings, only to be left in the capital and then transported by the authorities to its borders. Since then, around 2,000 migrants and refugees have been held at the Belarusian-Polish border, where many are beaten, abused and, at times, forced to cross the border in harsh weather […]]]> 511478 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211115-migrants-in-belarus-move-towards-polish-border-amid-rising-tensions/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 15:54:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=510706 Around 2,000 migrants, including women and children, in Belarus left their camps on Monday towards the country's western border with Poland. Along the border, just west of the city of Grodno, migrants, who came with a visa from Iraq, left the camps they built in the forested area. They had been sitting and waiting at the Bruzgi-Kuznitsa border checkpoint. The Belarusian State Border Committee said new groups had joined the waiting migrants, adding that there were around 2,100 people at the border seeking to enter Poland. Migrant crisis on border In October, Belarus suspended an agreement with the EU, obliging the country to take back migrants that crossed its territory and into the EU. The EU accuses the Belarusian administration […]]]> 510706 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211115-syrian-airline-halts-minsk-flights-over-belarus-border-crisis/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 14:26:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=510234 Syria's private Cham Wings Airlines, on Saturday, suspended flights between Damascus and the Belarus capital of Minsk because of the "critical circumstances" along the Belarus-Poland border where thousands of migrants have been trying to cross into the European Union, the company statement said. "Cham Wings Airlines decided to suspend its flights to Minsk Airport as of Saturday, 13 November, 2021," the company said. In recent months, Belarus began offering easy tourist visas to Iraqis, Syrians and others from the Middle East and Africa. By the help of this, they could now reach the edge of Europe on comfortable flights to Belarus, and then try to sneak into Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, all EU members. Meanwhile, on Friday, the body of a Syrian man about 20 years old, […]]]> 510234 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211112-uk-deploys-small-team-of-soldiers-in-poland/ Fri, 12 Nov 2021 16:54:08 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=510066 Britain on Friday said it deployed "a small team" of armed forces in Poland, as the migrant crisis with Belarus continues. The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the servicemen were deployed "to address the ongoing situation at the Belarus border." "The UK and Poland have a long history of friendship and are NATO allies," it added. "A small team of UK armed forces personnel have been deployed, following an agreement with the Polish government to explore how we can provide engineering support to address the ongoing situation at the Belarus border," the statement read. Massing of a large number of people seeking exit towards Europe on the Poland-Belarus border increased tensions between the two countries. In a […]]]> 510066 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211112-far-right-french-politician-suggests-migrants-be-left-to-freeze-at-polish-border/ Fri, 12 Nov 2021 15:28:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=510054 Recent remarks by a far-right French politician on the migration crisis at the EU's borders with Belarus sparked concern across the country on Friday. Speaking to the French BFM TV news channel on the recent events transpiring on the Belarusian-Polish border, Julien Odoul, a member of the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, said the main task of European authorities must be to protect Europeans. "We have to keep our borders closed to migrants, we mustn't let them in," Odoul said, adding that many of the migrants waiting on the border were "potentially dangerous." Responding to a question by journalist, Olivier Truchot, on whether the migrants ought to be left to freeze at the border, Odoul said: "Absolutely, […]]]> 510054 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211112-turkey-stops-flights-to-belarus-as-migrant-numbers-on-eu-borders-rise/ Fri, 12 Nov 2021 12:12:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=510007 Turkey's flights to the Belarusian capital Minsk will be reduced to zero for a limited time after a deal with Turkish Airlines to stop the flow of Middle Eastern migrants to Belarus and to stop them trying to reach Poland, the European Commission said today.  Turkey also banned Syrian, Yemeni and Iraqi citizens from flights to Minsk, Reuters reports. Thousands of irregular migrants have been stranded in freezing cold on the Belarus-Poland border for the fifth day amid the geopolitical standoff in eastern Europe. Turkey's Civil Aviation General Directorate (SHGM) said today it would ban the sale of tickets on flights to Belarus to citizens from Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The Belarusian state-owned airline Belavia said it would comply with the request. Due […]]]> 510007 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211111-poland-accuses-turkey-of-fuelling-migrant-crisis-in-eastern-central-europe/ Thu, 11 Nov 2021 21:32:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509940 Poland has accused Turkey of cooperating with Russia and Belarus to enable the current migrant crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border. In an emergency parliamentary session yesterday, Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said "We see that [Turkish actions] are fully synchronised with Belarus and Russia. It bothers us, we don't like it." Over the past few months, migrants and refugees from a number of countries – mainly Syria and Iraq – have been mounting at Belarus's border with Poland and other nearby states after being trafficked to Minsk by a consortium of smugglers and companies such as the sanctioned Syrian regime airline, Cham Wings. The migrants were left in the capital and then transported by the authorities to its borders with neighbouring countries, […]]]> 509940 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211111-neighbours-of-belarus-say-migrant-crisis-risks-military-clash/ Thu, 11 Nov 2021 16:37:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509701 Countries bordering Belarus, on Thursday, warned the migrant crisis on the European Union's eastern borders could escalate into a military confrontation, while Ukraine said it would deploy thousands more troops to reinforce its frontier. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia said Belarus posed serious threats to European security by deliberately escalating its "hybrid attack", using migrants to retaliate for EU sanctions. "This increases the possibility of provocations and serious incidents that could also spill over into the military domain," a joint statement by the countries' defence ministers said. While not an EU member, Ukraine is wary of becoming another flashpoint in the escalating migrant crisis. Kyiv announced drills and the deployment of 8,500 additional troops and police officers to the country's long […]]]> 509701 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211111-thousands-of-afghan-refugees-flee-daily-to-iran-rights-groups-say/ Thu, 11 Nov 2021 09:12:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509395 Some 4,000 to 5,000 Afghan refugees are fleeing daily into neighbouring Iran since the Taliban took control of their country in August, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said yesterday. "Many Afghan refugees called their relatives telling them they are on their way to Iran and many want to go on to Europe, so Europe should be less occupied with a few thousand [refugees] sitting on the Polish-Belorussian border," NRC's Secretary-General, Jan Egeland, said after a visit to refugees around Kerman province in eastern Iran. According to the NRC, an estimated 300,000 have fled Afghanistan into Iran since the Taliban takeover. "There is no economy, there is very little assistance, and there is too little shelter and food for millions and millions in […]]]> 509395 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211111-russia-and-nato-weigh-in-as-crisis-mounts-on-belarus-poland-border/ Thu, 11 Nov 2021 00:39:10 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509366 The European Union accused Belarus on Wednesday of mounting a "hybrid attack" by pushing migrants across the border into Poland, paving the way for widened sanctions against Minsk, in a crisis that threatens to draw in Russia and NATO. Russia took the rare step of dispatching two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to patrol Belarusian airspace in a show of support for its close ally. Poland briefed fellow NATO allies at a closed-door meeting and they pledged their support, an alliance official said. Migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa trapped in Belarus made multiple attempts to force their way into Poland overnight, Warsaw said, announcing that it had reinforced the border with extra guards. UN Human Rights Chief, Michelle Bachelet, […]]]> 509366 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211110-eu-asks-proactive-effort-from-arab-airlines-amid-belarus-migrant-crisis/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 17:13:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509348 The European Commission asked, on Wednesday, that Arab airlines cooperate in stopping the migration crisis at the bloc's borders with Belarus. European Commission Vice President, Margaritis Schinas, and European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valean, held a video-conference with the representatives of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO). "Message from the EU is clear: no one should allow themselves to be embroiled in the Belarusian authorities' unacceptable practices," Shinas said on Twitter, following the conversation with AACO that he describes as "honest." "We count on airlines' proactive effort now," he added, warning that "this is a moment of truth." Schinas and EU Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, will soon travel to countries of origin and transit to raise the authorities' awareness […]]]> 509348 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211110-russia-blames-eu-for-looming-migrant-catastrophe-sends-bombers-to-overfly-belarus/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 15:09:30 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509289 Russia blamed the European Union on Wednesday for the migrant crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland, accusing it of trying to "strangle" Belarus with plans to close part of the frontier and urging it to talk directly with Minsk. As migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa made new attempts to break into Poland overnight, Moscow sent a further signal of support for its ally, Belarus, by dispatching two strategic bomber planes to patrol Belarusian airspace. The Tu-22M3 bombers helped test Belarus's joint air defence system, RIA news agency quoted the Defence Ministry as saying in a statement that did not refer to the migrant crisis but served to underline the rise in tensions on NATO's eastern […]]]> 509289 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211110-stranded-migrants-try-to-breach-polish-border-repeatedly-as-eu-readies-belarus-sanctions/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 14:59:00 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509282 Migrants trapped in Belarus made multiple attempts to force their way into Poland overnight, Warsaw said on Wednesday, announcing that it had reinforced the border as the European Union prepares to impose sanctions on Belarus over the crisis. The bloc's 27 ambassadors are set to agree on Wednesday that the growing numbers of migrants flying to Belarus to reach the EU border amount to "hybrid warfare" by President Alexander Lukashenko—a legal basis for new sanctions. "Mr. Lukashenko … unscrupulously exploits people seeking refuge as hostages for his cynical power play," Germany's acting Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, said on Twitter. He described images from the Belarusian border, where people are stuck in freezing conditions with little food and shelter, as "horrific" […]]]> 509282 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211109-refugees-wait-in-desperate-conditions-at-polish-belarusian-border/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:16:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=509161 Thousands of irregular migrants are facing desperate conditions as they continue waiting at the Polish-Belarusian border, hoping to cross onto EU soil. After crossing the Bruzgi border point in Grodno, Belarus on Monday, the immigrants—most of them from Iraq— came to the Polish border to spend Tuesday night. Nearly 2,000 immigrants, including many women and children, stayed in tents they set up in front of the border fences in the forested area. When the temperature drops to freezing during the night, the migrants try to stay warm by burning wood from the forest. There is little food or water. Polish security forces, keeping vigil across the border during the night with strict security measures, made occasional announcements about migrants being […]]]> 509161 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211109-how-belarus-became-gateway-to-the-eu-for-middle-east-migrants/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 15:46:01 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=508816 Hundreds of migrants are stuck in freezing temperatures on the Belarusian border with Poland, trying to get into the European Union as EU capitals and Minsk accuse each other of causing the crisis and of endangering lives. Poland and other EU member states say Belarus is encouraging the migrants to cross the border into the EU, in revenge for sanctions slapped on Minsk over human rights abuses, a charge President Alexander Lukashenko's government denies. Relations between the EU and Minsk deteriorated sharply after Lukashenko, in power since 1994, claimed victory in a presidential election last year. His opponents, backed by the West, say the vote was rigged and staged mass street protests that Belarusian security forces then violently quashed. Why […]]]> 508816 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211109-eu-accuses-belarus-of-gangster-antics-as-migrants-shiver-at-polish-border/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 15:02:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=508808 Hundreds of migrants shivered in freezing temperatures and huddled round campfires on the Belarusian border with Poland on Tuesday, in front of razor wire fences and lines of Polish border guards blocking their entry into the European Union. The EU promised more sanctions on Belarus and accused President Alexander Lukashenko's government of using the migrants as political pawns and putting lives at risk, in what it branded "gangster-style" behaviour. Polish authorities were braced for further clashes after some migrants used logs, spades and other implements on Monday to try to break down a border fence, escalating a months-long crisis in which at least seven migrants have died. Poland and other EU member states accuse Belarus of encouraging illegal migrants from […]]]> 508808 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211109-germany-urges-eu-solidarity-with-poland-amid-belarus-border-crisis/ Tue, 09 Nov 2021 11:00:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=508748 Germany today urged the European Union to help Poland protect its borders as thousands of irregular migrants seek to enter the country from Belarus. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of engaging in a form of "hybrid" warfare and using migrants as a weapon to destabilise European countries. "We must help the Polish government secure the [Europe's] external border," he told Bild daily, urging the European Commission to take action. "All EU member states have to stand together, because Lukashenko, with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is using the fate of people to destabilize the West," he said. Seehofer said neither Poland nor Germany can cope alone with a new, major refugee crisis. In recent months nearly 9,000 […]]]> 508748 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211108-poland-belarus-seeks-violence-by-pushing-migrants-to-cross-into-eu/ Mon, 08 Nov 2021 12:20:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=508364 Polish authorities today accused Belarus of trying to spark a major confrontation and said they had mobilised additional soldiers as footage on social media showed hundreds of migrants walking towards the Polish border, Reuters reports. In one video, shared by the Belarusian blogging service NEXTA, migrants carrying rucksacks and wearing winter clothing were seen walking on the side of a highway. Other videos showed large groups of migrants sitting by the road and being escorted by armed men dressed in khaki. Migrants gathered at the border fence on the #Belarusian territory. pic.twitter.com/woTi2TykHi — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 8, 2021 "Belarus wants to cause a major incident, preferably with shots fired and casualties: according to media reports, they are preparing a major provocation near […]]]> 508364 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211104-lithuania-starts-building-first-european-wall-to-ward-off-migrants-from-belarus/ Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:02:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=507565 Lithuania has built the first stretches of a steel wall on its border with Belarus, since migrants from the Middle East and other areas began entering from Belarus this year. The European Union accuses Belarus of deliberately encouraging the migrants to enter EU states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, via Belarusian territory, as a way of putting pressure on the bloc. Belarus has repeatedly denied this but its President, Alexander Lukashenko, has said his country would no longer stop the migrants since EU sanctions drain resources. All three EU countries have put stretches of razor wire on the border to stop the migrants. Last week, Lithuania began putting up the first stretches of the 3.4-metre (11-foot) high steel fence, topped with […]]]> 507565