Yemeni Migrant Stuck at Polish Border Says Illegal Migration Networks Set Up by Europeans

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Illegal migration networks are organized mostly by people of European nationality through various channels, a migrant from Yemen stuck at the Polish-Belarusian border told Sputnik on Thursday.

More than 2,000 migrants have been camping on the Belarusian side of a barbed-wire border fence in subzero temperatures since Monday.

"Networks dealing with illegal migration include people of different nationalities. However, most of those working in Poland are from European nationalities, especially Poles", the migrant told Sputnik on condition of anonymity.

These networks bypass new restrictions that the authorities of Poland and the European Union are adopting in an attempt to stop the flow of migrants, he went on to share.

Migrants have been sent to the Polish border since summer, for which illegal migration organizers use private planes to transfer them from the Middle East to Belarus and Poland via Dubai for subsequent shipment to Germany, he said.

"Migrant smuggling networks are leasing private jets to transport migrants directly from Dubai to Belarus after flights from several Middle Eastern countries there were suspended", he said.

He also told Sputnik how he got to Belarus under the guise of a tourist.

"This is how we got to Belarus: first we went to the office of the travel company in Yemen, they made us an invitation to Belarus certified by the consulate in Minsk, paid hotel reservation and medical insurance. After that, we went to Egypt, and then, with our invitation, to Minsk, where we received visas at the airport. We entered Belarus like ordinary tourists", he said.

Recent massive attempts to cross the border are due to the fact that after the onset of cold weather, people can no longer remain in unsuitable living conditions without food.

"Many migrants fall ill due to the cold and lack of food; often we cannot get drinking water either in the Belarusian forests or in Poland. There are many families with children who cannot withstand such harsh conditions – lack of water, food, and lack of the most basic amenities. However, this is not an excuse in the eyes of the Polish military, who show no mercy or compassion for these children", he says.

For many stranded at the border, returning home is not an option, the Yemeni admits.

"Many do not intend to return to their countries because of the difficult living conditions there; they have no choice but to cross the border in the hope of a decent life in Europe", he explained.

Among migrants, there are many university graduates with bachelor's and master's degrees, and people with advanced degrees who cannot find work in their homeland or were forced to flee after the outbreak of military conflicts.

In recent months, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania have reported an increase in the number of people trying to cross the border from Belarus illegally, accusing Minsk of using migrants as a "hybrid weapon" against the bloc after it imposed sanctions on the country. On September 2, Poland declared a state of emergency on the territories bordering with Belarus, and the army and the police are involved in protecting the border. Belarus denies all allegations, saying it could no longer suppress migration to neighbouring countries due to the lack of resources caused by Western sanctions against the country.

On Monday, the State Border Committee of Belarus reported that a large group of migrants, mostly Kurds, were headed towards the border of Belarus with Poland. More than 2,000 people, including a significant number of women and children, stopped in front of the Polish barriers at the border line and set up a makeshift camp. The Polish security forces did not let them through, and the migrants made attempts to overcome the barbed-wire border fence.