Poland: Belarus Taking Migrants Away from Border Camp

Migrants who had spent days in a makeshift camp on the Belarusian side of Poland's eastern border were being transported away by bus by Belarusian officials, according to a Polish government official, indicating the possibility of a de-escalation in the tense standoff, according to Miami Herald.

A Polish deputy interior minister, Maciej Wasik, claimed he had received information that migrants were boarding Belarus-provided buses and departing the area. A video of migrants with bags and backpacks being directed away from the border by Belarus authorities was uploaded on Twitter by Poland's Border Guard.

However, Anna Michalska, a spokesperson for the Border Guard, reported that some of the migrants were spotted carrying wooden logs, raising suspicions about whether they were being relocated to another location along the border.

Since November 8, a huge group of refugees from the Middle East has been stranded at a border crossing with Poland, seeking to reach Europe. Most are trying to reach Germany or other Western European countries to escape turmoil or despair at home.

Tensions rose on Tuesday as Polish border guards used water cannon and tear gas to disperse migrants throwing stones. Warsaw accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's regime of arming inpiduals attempting to breach the border with smoke grenades and other weapons.

However, Polish authorities stated on Wednesday that the situation had calmed down, and that while they had recorded 161 attempts to cross Poland's border illegally, the big migrant camp near the now-closed Kuznica bridge had fewer inpiduals.

"The camp near Kuznica is gradually emptying," said Wasik, Poland's deputy interior minister. It was unclear where they were being transferred, and because to the restrictions that media suffer on both sides of the border, the information provided by officials is difficult to verify.

In Poland, a state of emergency has been declared, keeping journalists, human rights workers, and others away from the border for 3 kilometres (2 miles). Iraq has been urging its citizens to return home, claiming that the EU's door is shut. The first flights will take place on Thursday.