Since June 2021, thousands of people – mainly from Iraq, but also from Syria, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and several other countries – have been trying to reach the European Union (EU) via Belarus. They are trying to cross from Belarus to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Political leaders from Poland and Lithuania, as well as EU member states and institutions, are accusing the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of attempting to destabilise the EU by facilitating migrants and asylum seekers to cross into the EU. In response, the EU countries have built fences, significantly increased border patrols and declared a state of emergency along the border areas. The implementation of a state of emergency has been accompanied by a heavy militarisation of the border zones and a restriction on all access, including humanitarian access.

The situation escalated in November when several thousand people arrived at the border with Poland, allegedly facilitated by the Belarusian forces. The Polish Government sent 15,000 military to the border to prevent any unsanctioned entry into Poland. With the increased militarisation of the border, the number of people seeking assistance in the forest in Poland has decreased markedly.

MSF teams have been present in three countries – Belarus, Lithuania and Poland - responding to the crisis, but experiencing challenges with access to the border zones in all three countries.

Belarus

MSF was negotiating access to the border zone, including the logistics centre (also known as ‘the warehouse’) in Bruzgi and provided ad hoc support to people dispersed throughout the country.

Lithuania

The MSF team has been providing support, including mental healthcare, health promotion sessions and relief items, to people held in the border guard posts. The highest expressed needs of people in those locations are related to psychological distress, a lack of access to information and legal support, and a lack of access to a means of communicating with their family and friends MSF teams have distributed relief items including hygiene items, kitchen items, clothes and recreational items such as books and games.

Poland

Since October, MSF has repeatedly requested, including at high level, access to the restricted areas and the border guard posts, but without success. The MSF team provided some basic medical care and humanitarian assistance to a limited number of people who had crossed the border and made their way beyond the restricted zone as well as supporting local NGOs, individuals and groups who had been providing humanitarian aid to people crossing into Poland.

As the number of people reaching out for assistance in Poland has significantly decreased, and since MSF could not reach the people on the move inside the restricted areas nor in the border post locations in Poland, in the end of December 2021, the organisation decided to withdraw its emergency team and stop pursuing activities along the border area in Poland.