UN experts visit Belarus migrant center, Polish guards report breach attempt

Moscow, Nov 20 (EFE).- United Nations experts on Saturday carried out an inspection of an improvised migrant center near the Belarusian border town of Bruzgi, where some 2,000 migrants seeking to cross into the European Union are being hosted.

Polish border guards continued to report attempted border breaches, although with less intensity.

For the second time since November 11, the head of the UN refugee agency (Acnur) in Belarus, Mulusew Mamo and the country’s mission chief for the International Organization for Migration, Mahym Orazmuhamedova, traveled to the center to check the conditions for the migrants, who are predominantly of Middle Eastern origin.

The IOM in Belarus on Saturday said in a tweet that the center, set up in a warehouse, was hosting 1,833 people.

Mamo said the situation had improved from last week, when groups of migrants were camped out in the forested areas near the Polish border, but added in statements to Russian and Belarusian media that the facility was lacking in areas such as food, medical services and clothing.

Orazmuhamedova said more material would be delivered to the center next week.

Minsk recently said it would offer vaccines and the Belarus Red Cross distributed masks on Saturday.

There are an estimated 7,000 migrants attempting to reach the EU from Belarus, according to the Belarusian presidency.

According to president Alexandr Lukashenko’s spokeswoman, Belarusian authorities have tabled the creation of a humanitarian corridor for 2,000 migrants to cross the border, while the remaining 5,000 would be returned to their countries of origin. The EU has accused Belarus of orchestrating the border crisis to sow instability.

Some 431 people were sent back to Iraq on Thursday.