GRODNO, 11 November (BelTA) –Refugees from Iraq want to get to Western Europe to find a job: there are no employment opportunities in their homeland, BelTA learned from migrants camping on the Belarus-Poland border.
A large group of refugees heading for the Belarus-Poland border was spotted near the Bruzgi checkpoint on 8 November. Migrants, most of whom are Iraqi Kurds, did not manage to get to Poland. They set up a camp at the borderline.
“We are going to Germany or the UK to find a job. In Iraqi Kurdistan, we have no jobs and it is not safe to stay there,” one of the refugees said. According to her, their homeland is rich in oil and gas, but the Kurds do not get anything from this.
"We are suffering from the cold, especially children. Many of them are very small, there is not enough milk. They are sick, they need medical assistance," the woman said. She emphasized that they just wanted to cross the border and Poland did not let them through.
A man asked to report on what was happening to the UN. "Let Poles come here and look at what is happening. Maybe then they will let us through," he said. The man complained about the cold and said there may be not enough food in the camp. He thanked the Belarusians for their help: they constantly bring water to the camp. Humanitarian supplies with food and warm clothes were also delivered to the camp.
The fourth day in the camp proceeds calmly. Makeshift huts and even improvised houses are being built next to the tents. The refugees are unwilling to stay in Belarus or go back to their home country. They hope to enter the European Union.
