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Utena County and Alytus County, Lithuania – On June 10, 47-year-old Afghan Mohamed Elias Safi went to Kabul Airport to take a flight to Moscow.
He set off from the Russian capital, “sometimes on foot, sometimes by car”, trying to reach the Belarus-Lithuanian border.
On July 5th, he arrived with other hopeful refugees and immigrants and tried to enter the Baltic States.
But they were stopped by border guards.
The trip was advertised as a convenient way to Lithuania and cost him $15,000-the money was paid to the “agent” in Afghanistan.
Safi finally came to an immigration center in Lithuania, where he still remains, still uncertain about his future.
He is one of more than 4,000 people who have entered Lithuania in recent months, a record high in this number. The immigration rate is 55 times that of last year.
Most are from the Middle East, mainly Iraq, while others are from Africa.
The Lithuanian government stated that the rate of irregular immigration rose sharply after May 26, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to provide a large number of immigrants and drugs to neighboring countries.
Lithuanian and EU officials described the move as a “hybrid” attack, and immigrants are now caught in the middle.
The immigration conflict is the latest episode of the battle between Belarus and Western countries supported by Russia. After Lukashenko was re-elected in the controversial presidential election last year, the war of words between the two sides has become increasingly tense and sanctions have also intensified.
The United States and many European countries condemned the suppression of the Belarusian opposition. In its heyday, a large number of protesters were arrested and allegedly abused.
47-year-old Afghan Mohamed Elias Safi summoned the children for a group photo [Giedrė Peseckytė/Al Jazeera]Lithuania hosted several high-profile Belarusian dissidents and accused Minsk of pushing migrants to the border, while Belarus tightened the border side to prevent people from returning.
Walls have been built to strengthen the border, and more troops are planned, including those in Poland, which borders Belarus.
“Related” Conditions and Immigration Center
Immigrants from Lithuania are resettled across the country, from the refugee reception center in the central town of Lukla to the old school buildings along the border with Belarus.
Elisabeth Haslund, a spokesperson for UNHCR, said the humanitarian situation varies, and in some locations, the situation is “worrisome”, especially in terms of drinking water, sanitation and medical services.
Safi attended a school in the eastern village of Kazitiskis near the Belarusian border, which has become a temporary residence for 130 immigrants and refugees, including women and children.
He shared a room with 16 other people and slept on a bunk bed.
On campus, Bekhal Hama Saeed, a 42-year-old woman from Iraq, watched her children play. They are nine, seven and six years old. Her family shares a room with 20 people.
She said the conditions here are “very bad”. “I cry every day.
UNHCR’s Haslund said that what is worrying is that “some vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied minors, families with young children, and the disabled, have been placed in some of these facilities beyond their capacity.”
There is also a sense of confusion, which Egle Samuchovaite, project manager of the Lithuanian Red Cross, describes it as an “information vacuum”.
With almost no interpreters, immigrants and refugees cannot obtain information about their current situation, which can lead to anxiety and stress.
“I’m in jail, they tortured me mentally. They won’t let us out, they won’t give us [information on] Our position,” said Khan Farooq from Afghanistan. “We don’t care what happens between you and Belarus. I come from Afghanistan 10,000 miles away.
“I am a civilian. If I can go to Europe, I will go anywhere. This is not what Europe should be.
“We were sold again. We were sold again. Just like in history.”
47-year-old Afghan Khan Farooq paid thousands of dollars to a smuggling agent to arrive in Lithuania [Giedrė Peseckytė/Al Jazeera]General Rustamas Liubajevas, director of the State Border Service, admitted at a press conference on August 17 that there may be a lack of information.
But he added that people should not expect to cross the Schengen area immediately upon arrival.
He said that they had this belief because they were “misled by the organizers.”
But the Lithuanian authorities have made some promises.
Deputy Interior Minister Arnoldas Abramavicius (Arnoldas Abramavicius) said that since Iraqi Airlines suspended flights and implemented new immigration procedures, the authorities have been able to rest and “improve conditions.”
From August 2nd, immigrants can only pass through official checkpoints.
Between August 2 and 17, about 80 migrants entered Lithuania for humanitarian reasons.
At the same time, immigration officials have begun to visit accommodation facilities to provide immigrants with more information and conduct approximately 300 interviews a day.
On August 19, a team visited Vydeniai School, which has 146 people, mainly from African countries.
That day, Buay Lual, 23, from South Sudan, was exercising in the school gym.
He said that since March, he has been living in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
He watched online videos of people crossing the border into Lithuania and decided to give it a try.
He said that Vydeniai’s conditions are good, adding that everyone is treated “like a human.”
“I thank this country because they brought me here and they gave me three times as much water and food. [per day]. Then how can I say that this country is not good? Buai said.
Buay Lual, 23, from South Sudan, said he was asked to provide 300 euros in return, but he refused [Giedrė Peseckytė/Al Jazeera]He was told of the option of voluntary return, under which immigrants can get a travel ticket and 300 euros (352 US dollars).
But Buay was not interested.
“I told them, even if you give me a million, how can I backfire?
“I am not here because I just need money, I am here because I want to live my own life.”
He was told that it might take up to six months to know his status.
UNHCR spokesperson Haslund said that when discussing possible future situations for thousands of new immigrants, “we need to be very careful” because this is “a very diverse group” and each case needs to be assessed individually. .
Although some may require international protection, some may not.
She said: “Then they can return home with dignity and respecting human rights.”
As of August 20, Lithuania has registered more than 1,600 asylum applications.
The head of the immigration department, Evelina Gudzinskaite, said that only a small percentage of people will be granted asylum. Most people will be deported back to their country of origin. So far, no one has been granted asylum in the 200 reviewed cases.
The number of refugees and immigrants entering Lithuania from Belarus this year hit a record high, including women and children [Giedrė Peseckytė/Al Jazeera]
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