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Participants in the hunger strike in Brussels: The action had recently escalated - several people had to be treated for health
Photo: Nils Quintelier / dpa
More than 400 migrants in Belgium went on hunger strike to draw attention to their situation and asked the government to issue residence permits. On Wednesday, they ended their hunger strike after nearly two months. There were meetings with government officials at which "agreements" were reached, the Belga news agency reported, citing representatives of the strikers. As Belga further reports, it was initially unclear whether all the strikers were really ready to eat again.
The people had the action "temporarily suspended," said supporters according to information from the AFP news agency.
They welcomed the fact that the government had given "a helping hand."
Accordingly, it was suggested that people should bring their "exceptional circumstances" - and, in the case of a few, "the possibility of international protection" - to the authorities.
According to the information, every striker should be informed about his or her options for a residence permit from Thursday.
"Ending the hunger strike is the only right decision," said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, according to AFP.
However, he stressed that the government would not allow itself to be blackmailed.
On May 23, the approximately 450 undocumented migrants went on hunger strike.
You are in a church and university buildings in Brussels.
Most of the migrants from Algeria and Morocco are demanding a right of residence with access to the labor market.
The strike had recently escalated further when some of the migrants said they also went without water.
The aid organization Doctors of the World had therefore warned of possible deaths.
Around 150,000 undocumented migrants live in Belgium.
They are exposed to the exploitation of the labor and housing market, UN experts warned last week.
ime / dpa / AFP