“Hybrid attack”. This is how the European Union (EU) describes the migration pressure that Belarus exerts on the border with Poland, which is part of the community bloc.
This term is used to describe an attack using any type of tool, rather than direct violence, to destabilize or weaken an opponent.
According to the Polish government, in this case, about four thousand people are used as political weapons.
As a result, they are trapped in limbo between the Belarusian-Polish border and the wall guarded by Belarusian soldiers.
Migrants looking to enter Europe say the Belarusian government leased planes and ended up dropping them in the area.
“I spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, [Vladimir]Makei to address the precarious humanitarian situation on the EU border. Lives must be protected and humanitarian organizations must have access [ao terreno]… The current situation is unacceptable and must be stopped. You can not use people as weapons, “- said on Twitter the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.
The European Union criticized President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko for “deliberately endangering the life and well-being of people and for fomenting a crisis on the external borders of the EU”.
On November 15, the Council of the European Union agreed to change the sanctions regime against Belarus, expanding the criteria.
This is not the first time this is happening, although the term “hybrid attack” has not been used in other cases.
The delicate case of Morocco
When the leader of the Front POLISARIO Brahim Gali was treated in Spain for COVID-19, Morocco went on an action similar to the one that is now taking place between Poland and Belarus.
About eight thousand people arrived in Spain by swimming from Ceuta within 48 hours and due to the absence of the Moroccan police.
The European Union (EU) criticized Morocco’s “blackmail” and guaranteed that no country could blackmail the EU, but did not announce sanctions against the African country.
This is not the first time Morocco has threatened to open a migration tap.
In 2018, several experts warned of using migration during the rule of the Alawite dynasty as a negotiating tool on issues such as immigration assistance or fishing.
In the same year, Brussels announced that it was allocating 55 million euros to Morocco and Tunisia to “improve maritime border management, save lives at sea and fight smugglers operating in the region.”
In April 2021, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that, according to a confidential EU document, Morocco demanded more money from the community bloc in exchange for better management of migration flows from the North African country. According to a Spanish newspaper, the kingdom of the Alawite dynasty wants to match Libya and Turkey in terms of migration.
Turkey and the war in Syria
March 18 marks five years since the signing of the migration agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey in 2016.
The pact has been criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International, who believe it has led to the failure of policies that “forced tens of thousands of people to remain on the Greek islands in inhuman conditions and put refugees in danger by forcing them to remain in the country”. Turkey “.
Under this agreement, the European Union allocated Ankara three billion euros for participation in “specific projects.” But understanding did not stop there.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened the European Union to “open the borders”.
Thus, Ankara reacted to the refusal of the European Parliament to freeze EU accession negotiations with Turkey.
“When 50,000 migrants arrived in the border town of Kapikule, they began to complain, saying: what are we going to do if Turkey opens the border gates? If they go further, they should know that the gates on the border will be open, ”the Turkish leader then threatened.
Amnesty International argues that “this agreement was a stain on the EU’s human rights history and that it demonstrated Europe’s commitment to reaching agreements to restrict migration based on sheer political expediency and disregard for inevitable loss of life.”
Libyan Coast Guard
January 30, 2021 marks a year since the renewal of the migration agreement between Italy and Libya.
The pact was unanimously criticized by non-governmental organizations as well as by the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Committee.
In exchange for intercepting the boats carrying migrants from the Libyan Coast Guard and returning to the North African country, Italy and the European Union (EU) guarantee logistical and economic support.
The European Union has supported the agreement for at least three years, training the Libyan Coast Guard at ports such as Cadiz in Spain. A training program that did not prevent violent situations in the Mediterranean, as happened on July 1, when the Coast Guard fired on a boat that was trying to reach a European port.
The poor conditions in which migrants are held in detention centers in Libya mean boats are trying to hide from the coast guard on the high seas.
Non-governmental organizations working in the Mediterranean are faced with a situation of panic in the midst of rescue operations where people think they will be returned to Libyan land and often end up jumping into the water.
