Trapped in 'cruel' forest, migrant regrets Belarus-EU crossing
1/5
Regret
Exhausted and trapped in a cold, "cruel" forest, Lebanese barber Ali Abd Alwareth said he regretted his week-long bid to enter the European Union via the Belarus-Poland border.
2/5
"A nightmare"
"It's miserable. Something that you don't wish for your worst enemy... A nightmare," the soft-spoken 24-year-old with Crohn's disease told AFP.
Sitting cross-legged on a bed of pine needles and dead leaves near the border town of Kleszczele in eastern Poland, Abd Alwareth described being a ping-pong ball for the guards.
Sitting cross-legged on a bed of pine needles and dead leaves near the border town of Kleszczele in eastern Poland, Abd Alwareth described being a ping-pong ball for the guards.
3/5
Tried many times
"I tried crossing like five, six times, and every time I got caught and deported back to the border" by Poland, he said in English.
The Belarusian side meanwhile refused to let him return to Minsk to fly home.
The Belarusian side meanwhile refused to let him return to Minsk to fly home.
Amazon Top Deals
POWERED BY
Crompton Ozone 75 Litres Desert Air Cooler for home | Large & Easy Clean Ice Chamber | 4-Way Air Deflection | High Density Honeycomb Pads | Everlast Pump | Auto Fill| 3 Year Brand Warranty
₹9,798Buy Now43%
OFF
LG 32 L Convection Microwave Oven (MC3286BRUM, Black, 360° Motorised Rotisserie for Bar-be-queing, 301 Auto Cook Menu, Stainless steel cavity, Indian Cuisine, Tandoor Se, Steam Clean & Diet Fry)
₹18,780Buy Now22%
OFF
4/5
The two choices
Abd Alwareth said security forces told him: "You have only two choices: either you die here or you die in Poland. That's it."
One of thousands of migrants -- mostly from the Middle East -- who have tried to penetrate the 400-kilometre (250-mile) border since August, Abd Alwareth said he left the financial crisis in Lebanon in search of a better life.
One of thousands of migrants -- mostly from the Middle East -- who have tried to penetrate the 400-kilometre (250-mile) border since August, Abd Alwareth said he left the financial crisis in Lebanon in search of a better life.
5/5
The blame game
The whole journey from his home region of Bekaa cost $4,000 and involved help from a Minsk-based company he found on social media.
The EU suspects Belarus is masterminding the unprecedented influx of migrants into Poland as a form of retaliation against EU sanctions, but the regime has put the blame on the West.
The EU suspects Belarus is masterminding the unprecedented influx of migrants into Poland as a form of retaliation against EU sanctions, but the regime has put the blame on the West.