Twenty-four immigrants stranded on border between Poland and Belarus

Twenty-four migrants are currently stranded on the border between Poland and Belarus, near the village of Usnarz Górny, according to the Polish Border Guard.

Polish border guards and soldiers patrolling Poland's border with Belarus near the village of Usnarz Górny, 21 August.

Photo: PAP/Artur Reszko

The group includes twenty men and four women, the border agency said on Twitter.

According to earlier reports, 32 Afghan citizens had been camping for several days in the woods near Usnarz Górny.

On Sunday, "some of them were taken away and a few others were brought in by the Belarusian side," Poland’s border services said in a tweet.

Po stronie białoruskiej na wysokości m. Usnarz Górny znajduje się obecnie grupa 24 os.(20 m. i 4 k.), nie ma wśród nich https://t.co/WNdQIE1RVaęść osób została zabrana przez str. 🇧🇾a kilka nowych dowiezionych.Str. 🇧🇾kilkukrotnie dostarczała dziś grupie żywność,napoje i papierosy.

— Straż Graniczna (@Straz_Graniczna) August 22, 2021

Local residents and volunteers have been providing support to the stranded migrants for several days.

Some opposition MPs and human rights activists have called on the Polish government to take the immigrants in and let them apply for asylum in Poland.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters on Wednesday that "a serious, sovereign state protects its territory," and the refugees were "being used" by Belarus' strongman President Alexander Lukashenko.

Recent weeks have seen a surge in illegal attempts to enter Poland from Belarus, with more than 2,100 people warded off or detained in August.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have accused Lukashenko's regime of intentionally pushing thousands of migrants over the EU's eastern border in retaliation for EU sanctions.

(ał)

Source: IAR