Thousands of people from Middle Eastern nations devastated by conflict have been trying to slip into the European Union since summer. They are using a backdoor opened by Belarus. Some made it through, while others are stranded along the way.
Adla Salim, the mother of the 19-year-old Sarkawt Ismat, stranded on the Belarus border, poses at her home in Dohuk, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. Sarkawt is among thousands from the Middle East who have been trying to slip into the EU in recent months using a backdoor quietly opened by non-EU member Belarus.
He hoped to enter Poland and eventually reach Germany to join his older brother, Sarwar, who had successfully completed the journey. Belarus began offering easy tourist visas to Iraqis, Syrians and others from the Middle East and Africa. This meant they could now reach the edge of Europe on comfortable flights to Belarus, then try to sneak into Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, all EU members.
Both Syria and Iraq have been devastated by years of conflict. Syria is a broken country after a decade of civil war that killed more than 400,000 people and displaced half its population. President Bashar Assad prevailed with the help of Russia and Iran, confining those trying to topple him to a small corner of Syria. But the country is in an economic free fall set off by Western sanctions and the cumulative costs of war.
Most Syrians make the trip on private Syrian carrier Cham Wings, said the agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of possible harm to his business.
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