Lithuania begins to deport migrants from neighboring Belarus
Lithuanian army soldiers install razor-sharp barbed wire at the border with Belarus in Druskininkai, Lithuania on July 9, 2021. REUTERS - JANIS LAIZANS
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Facing an ever-increasing number of migrants - more than 4,000 since the start of the year - Lithuania has authorized their refoulement at the border since Monday.
The country is reaching the end of its hosting capacity and is accumulating evidence that it is trafficking organized by the Belarusian neighbor.
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With our correspondent in Vilnius,
Marielle Vitureau
The scenario is well established.
The migrants take a direct flight to Minsk from Baghdad, Erbil or other cities in Iraq.
Then they are then accompanied by smugglers to the Lithuanian border.
Forests and fields are not difficult to cross into the European Union.
► See also: Poor migrants move from Belarus to Lithuania
Since Monday evening, however, the passage has become much more complicated.
Border guards have the right to turn back migrants: 180 on the first night, authorities said.
This is not a normal migration route, but a hybrid attack orchestrated by Minsk.
To support her remarks, the Minister of the Interior broadcast images shot by
Frontex
.
It shows Belarusian forces leading the migrants to the crossing points.
Voices have been raised in Lithuania to question the legality of the refoulements.
But for the government, it is the only way to cope when accommodation capacities are close to saturation.
The physical construction of a barrier is now the government's number one priority regardless of the cost.
Next Tuesday, Parliament will vote to grant the military the same prerogatives as border guards.
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See also: Influx of migrants in Lithuania: the EU ready to provide assistance to Vilnius
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Lithuania
International Migration
Belarus