More than 100 migrants left Belarus by plane on Monday after failing to reach Europe via neighboring Poland, Minsk said on Tuesday (November 23rd), adding that additional departures were planned.
Read alsoMigrants: Europe challenged by Belarus
On Monday, "
118 people left Minsk airport and (these departures) continue,
" said a senior official of the Belarusian interior ministry in charge of migration, Alexei Begun, as quoted by the state-run Belta news agency. . On Tuesday, other migrants were waiting in the boarding area at Minsk airport to return to their country, added Alexeï Begun, without giving figures or specifying the nationalities of these people. However, he indicated that the embassies of several countries, such as Syria and Iraq, were in the process of organizing the charter of flights to repatriate "
their nationals who find themselves in a difficult situation.
In Belarus.
Minsk announced last week that a first group of migrants, more than 400 Iraqis, had left the country by plane.
The regime of Alexander Lukashenko, which has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, is accused by Brussels of having attracted several thousand migrants to its country since the summer before transporting them to the eastern borders of the Union European Union, in order to avenge Western sanctions.
In recent weeks, Poland has thus faced, on its border with Belarus, a large influx of people mainly from countries in the Middle East.
Warsaw has repeatedly denounced a "
hybrid war
" of Minsk.
While Belarus had promised them an easy passage to Europe, the candidates for exile found themselves stranded at the border in difficult conditions, many of them camping in a forest in freezing temperatures.
According to Polish media, at least 11 migrants have died in the border area since the summer.
Read alsoMigration crisis in Belarus: Poles to the rescue of migrants
The first returns of Iraqi migrants to their country last week took place after several telephone exchanges between Belarusian and European officials.
Alexander Lukashenko has met twice with Chancellor Angela Merkel, a victory for the Belarusian leader whose controversial re-election last year was not recognized by Western countries.
