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The crisis over the movement of migrants towards the European Union from Belarus has deepened. At least 2,000 migrants have been gathering at Belarus's side of the border, with some trying to cross the Polish border into the EU. EU and Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have all seen a surge in the number of people trying to enter their countries from Belarus in recent months. Many are young men, but they include women and children, largely from the Middle East and Asia. The European Commission has accused Belarus聽of luring migrants to those borders with the false promise of easy entry to the EU. Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko denies orchestrating the problem.

Families are worried about their loved ones who are trapped at the Belarus/Poland border. Momen Zellmi who is in Erbil, northern Iraq, spoke to the OS programme. He says his nephew, who has a degree and is seeking opportunities in the EU, obtained a Belarus visa for the cost of $5,000, and arrived there from Baghdad. However, he is now trapped at the Belarus / Polish border, along with hundreds more. He says they are running out of food, in very cold weather, and are being threatened with attacks of tear gas and water by the security forces who are stationed there.

Photo: Polish soldiers reinforce the border with Belarus Credit: EPA