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Poland restores the neutral zone on the border with Belarus

2024-06-05 16:30:17, Kosova & Bota CNA

The recent violence between soldiers and migrants on the Polish-Belarusian border has prompted the Polish government to increase security and announce on June 4 the return of the 200-meter-long neutral zone. Poland sees the recent influx of migrants from Belarus as a tactic of hybrid warfare. Voice of America correspondent Myroslava Gongadze visited the region and brings the following material.

On the border between Poland and Belarus, the Bialowieza National Park, popular with tourists and nature lovers, has recently been the scene of clashes between Polish soldiers and migrants, prompting Poland to announce the return of the 200-metre-long neutral zone.

The area has been partially separated by this fence since 2021, when Poland first faced an influx of migrants from Belarus.

At the time, the Polish government accused Belarus of using migrants, some from the Middle East, as a hybrid warfare tactic to cause instability on the border with the European Union and NATO.

Michal Bura, a senior staff officer of the Polish Border Guard, says that border violence has increased this time.

"The situation at the border is very dangerous. Hundreds of incidents related to illegal border crossing occur every day. The immigrants are very aggressive and attack the Polish border guards", he says.

Last week, two Polish border guards received medical treatment in hospital after being injured at the border in attacks by migrants, which included stabbings.

"Emigration here is being artificially encouraged. The governments in Moscow or Minsk are deciding when and how many people will cross the border. This is not a natural migration process. This is one of the elements of hybrid warfare. This is a test of our strength and capabilities and an attempt to distract our attention from the war in Ukraine", says Mr. Bura.

VOA reached out to officials at the Belarusian Embassy in Poland for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of writing.

Belarusian officials have rejected accusations that their country helped send migrants to the Polish border.

After his recent visit to this area, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the return of the neutral zone with a length of 200 meters. The neutral zone was created in 2021, but was removed a year later, after the construction of a border fence.

Olivia Hurley is a volunteer with the Granica Group, which assists migrants at the border and monitors human rights violations. She says that the immigrants are being used by Belarus.

"They want to enter the European Union. They don't want to be arrested and put in jail for killing, for example, a Polish border guard. But from the point of view of the Belarusian authorities, this is in their interest, because they have tried many times to provoke the Polish army and the Polish border guards to engage in clashes", says Olivia Hurley from the group Granica.

Ms. Hurley brings to attention the stories told by immigrants about the hardships and sufferings they experienced in Belarus.

"Beatings, rapes, hunger, bribes, that's why they beg the Polish forces not to send them back to Belarus," she says.

Ms. Hurley shows the extent of the neutral zone. She says such an act will not solve the problem and could hurt local businesses.

"Passing on this road is allowed, but on the other side, 15 meters into the forest, there is an invisible line that you cannot cross," she says.

Tourists have already started canceling their plans to visit the park.

Ms. Hurley and others say there must be a comprehensive solution that makes border security possible and at the same time protects the rights of asylum seekers./ VOA