MINSK, 16 November (BelTA) – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is calling for urgent de-escalation of the situation at the border of Belarus and Poland and ensuring humanitarian access to migrants to prevent the further loss of life, reads the IFRC press release, TASS reports.
“We are concerned about the increasingly serious situation at the Poland-Belarus border, after large groups of migrants arrived there on 8 November. We call for access for the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations so that all people in need, at the border and other locations, can receive medical treatment, humanitarian assistance and protection services,” said Andreas von Weissenberg, IFRC Europe's head of Disasters, Climate and Crises.
In his words, Belarus Red Cross was given access to provide vital life-saving aid to people enduring hunger and freezing conditions. “We need access to be provided on the other side of the border. People need to be treated humanely,” Andreas von Weissenberg said.
Andreas von Weissenberg said Polish Red Cross has also been responding to this crisis for several weeks. “They are working with authorities to deliver blankets, sleeping bags and clothes. Local branches are supporting migrants in Podlaskie and Lubelskie provinces, near the border, with food, water and hygiene kits. They are providing first aid and helping people trace family members. But they need unhindered access to migrants at the border in line with our humanitarian mandate and in accordance with our fundamental principles,” he added.
“Access to humanitarian assistance and to protection in the territory must go hand in hand. All migrants arriving at the EU's borders should be able to effectively apply for international protection and receive an individualised assessment of their claim, in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention and applicable EU law,” Andreas von Weissenberg explained.
The migrant crisis on Belarus' border with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland where migrants have been flooding to since the beginning of the year, sharply escalated on 8 November. Several thousand people approached the Polish border from the Belarusian side and camped down on the border zone, some of them tried to enter the territory of Poland breaking the barbed wire fence.
