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A30 world news
Diasabra 13 November 2021

Cold, hungry, afraid: Mideast migrants stuck on EU doorstep

those trying to topple him to are planned, said spokesman
a small corner of Syria. But Hussein Jalil.
the country is in an econom-
ic free fall set off by Western Kameran Hassan, an Iraqi,
sanctions and the cumulative said he and his family of four
costs of war. were forced onto a return
flight. They made it into Po-
The mechanic said there is land but were caught. After
absolutely no hope the situ- three weeks in a holding cen-
ation will improve, and it’s ter, they were put on a bus
better to take a risk now with other Iraqis. They were
than to see his children con- told they would be taken to
demned to despair in Syria. another camp in Warsaw, but
Things are so bad that his instead were driven to the
oldest son can’t even get a airport.
required textbook for 10th
grade English, he said. “They started to put us by
force on the plane,” said Has-
When he heard of what san, speaking from Sulay-
was happening in Belarus maniyah in Iraq’s Kurdish
through social media, he region.
went to a travel agency in Da-
mascus that offered package One man fainted when he
deals for $4,000 per person. saw they were being deported
He applied for the visa and “because he had sold every-
borrowed money to cover the thing” for the attempt, Has-
cost for himself and his sons. san said. Polish escorts car-
ried him on a stretcher onto
He’ll leave for Belarus once the flight back to Iraq.
(AP) — Sarkawt Ismat was here,” he said. edge of Europe on comfort- he gets the visa, he said.
cold, hungry and terrified, able flights to Belarus, then For Sarkawt Ismat’s mother,
trapped between Polish “When I traveled, they told try to sneak into Poland, At this stage, nothing will de- his predicament in Belarus
and Belarusian troops fac- me it is very easy. ‘It takes Lithuania or Latvia, all EU ter him. He said he’s prepared seemed to confirm her fears.
ing off on opposite sides only three days to get to Eu- members. to try four or five times. Adla Salim had pleaded with
of the European Union’s rope.’” him not to go.
eastern border. Thousands have attempted “There are people who make
That turned out to be wrong. the journey since summer. it the first time, others the Her older son, 22-year-old
The 19-year-old Iraqi taxi That has led in recent weeks second time and others the Sarwar, had left for Belarus
driver is among thousands For many in the Middle East, to increasingly tense stand- third time, but eventually three months ago and reached
from the Middle East who beaten down by conflict and offs on the border Belarus they arrive,” he said. “I have Germany in early October,
have been trying to cross into hopelessness, the lure of jobs and scenes of desperate mi- to guarantee the future of my after spending 10 days hiding
the EU in recent months and stability in Europe has grants huddled in forests children.” in a forest. He suffers from
through a backdoor opened always been powerful. Legal amid freezing temperatures. chronic heart problems, and
by non-EU member Belarus. entry has been near-impos- Poland sent riot police and A Damascus travel agent said is hospitalized in Germany,
sible, with the EU tightening troops to bolster its border demand has driven up prices she said. The family only let
Ismat left his home in Dohuk, its borders in recent years. guards. At least eight deaths for packages to Belarus, from him go because he was ill and
a town in Iraq’s autonomous Every year, tens of thousands have been reported. $2,600 for a flight and five they couldn’t do anything for
Kurdistan region, two weeks try to get in, embarking on nights in a Minsk hotel, to him in Dohuk.
ago, after selling his taxi. He treacherous and, at times, A 44-year-old car mechanic about $4,000.
paid $2,600 to a local travel deadly journeys by sea and from Syria says he doesn’t “We tried to convince Sarkawt
agency for a bus to Turkey, a land. care about Lukashenko’s mo- Most Syrians make the trip not to go, but he was very in-
hotel stay in Istanbul, a plane tives or the reports of suffer- on private Syrian carrier sistent,” she said.
ticket to Minsk, and three Others were deterred by such ing at the Belarus border. Cham Wings, said the agent,
nights in a hotel in the Be- risks until an opportunity for who spoke on condition of Sarkawt still owed $10,000
larusian capital. seemingly easy entry to Eu- He is determined to reach anonymity for fear of pos- on the taxi that he sold to pay
rope appeared to open up Belarus with his older sons, sible harm to his business. for the trip — money that his
He hoped to enter Poland earlier this year. ages 16 and 17, and eventu- father, a peshmerga fighter,
and eventually reach Germa- ally get to Germany. There The EU is looking at the role now has to pay back from
ny to join his older brother, Belarus President Alexander he hopes to find work and some airlines have played, his monthly income of about
Sarwar, who had successfully Lukashenko, angered after arrange for his wife and two reportedly considering sanc- $1,000.
completed the journey. the EU imposed sanctions on younger children to join him. tions against them.
his authoritarian regime fol- All that money now seems
Somewhere near the Pol- lowing a harsh internal crack- “There is no future here for Flight options are shrinking. to have gone for nothing.
ish border, his dreams were down on dissent, responded young people, whether in Turkey said Friday it is halt- Sarkawt was allowed Thurs-
crushed. He and others in his by saying he was loosening education, culture or social ing airline tickets to Iraqis, day to leave the forest for
group were stopped by Belar- border controls against West- life,” he said, asking that his Syrians and Yemenis wanting Minsk, in preparation for re-
usian troops who he said beat ern-bound migrants. EU of- name not be used because he to travel to Belarus. Citing turning to Iraq.
them and took their posses- ficials accused him of using feared publicity could disrupt that decision, the Belarusian
sions, including his money the migrants as pawns, while his plans. airline Belavia said it also His mother, a 45-year-old
and cellphone. For days, the Lukashenko denies that and would not ticket citizens of housewife, says all she wants
group was trapped in a forest, says Europe is violating their Both Syria and Iraq have been those countries on its Istan- is her boy home.
not allowed to enter Poland rights by denying them safe devastated by years of con- bul-Minsk flight.
or return to Minsk. passage. flict. Syria is a broken coun- “He calls weeping, saying
try after a decade of civil war Iraqi Airways, which sus- ‘I want to go back to Iraq. I
“I’m scared and want to come Belarus began offering easy that killed more than 400,000 pended flights between Bagh- want nothing. I just want to
back but don’t have a penny,” tourist visas to Iraqis, Syrians people and displaced half its dad and Minsk on Aug. 5, go back. I am hungry and
he said in a phone interview, and others from the Middle population. President Bashar has flown home about 1,000 cold’,” she said.
using a borrowed mobile. “It East and Africa. This meant Assad prevailed with the help stranded Iraqis from Belar-
is an absolute humiliation they could now reach the of Russia and Iran, confining us, and more rescue flights