Why does belarus have

Two groups of migrants , mainly from Iraq, Syria and parts of Africa, are reported to have made it into Poland from Belarus - only to be detained immediately after crossing the border. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is accused of giving migrants tourist visas and helping them enter the bloc illegally as a way of taking revenge on the EU for sanctions imposed after he won a disputed election last year.

Officials in Brussels say such "gangster-style" tactics are inhumane and exploitative. Russia , Belarus's main ally, denies the allegations and is blaming Poland for not handling the crisis properly. Belarus migrants: Body of young Syrian man found at Polish border as Britain sends troops to help with crisis.

Belarus migrants: 'He beat us for three hours' - the stories of asylum seekers trying to make it into Poland. Most of them have fled war-torn areas of Iraq and Syria, though a small number have come from Africa, in search of a better life.

The majority are young men, but there are some women and children. Usually, asylum seekers from these Middle Eastern countries who want to come to Europe do so by making dangerous boat trips from northern Africa across the Mediterranean before trying to enter the bloc via western Europe. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. But the EU has accused President Alexander Lukashenko, of providing them with an easier route, by offering them Belarusian tourist visas - and then helping them cross the border into either Poland, Lithuania or Latvia - the three EU states it borders.

So far this year, around 4, asylum seekers have entered Lithuania illegally via Belarus - 50 times more than the whole of Latvian officials started pushing migrants back from its Belarusian border this summer, but several hundred are believed to have got through.

They declared a state of emergency to deal with the crisis, a move Poland made in September when experiencing the same problem. On 9 November Poland reinforced its border by deploying more than 12, soldiers to help protect check points after a group tried to storm a barbed wire fence.

Learn facts that will help you get to know Belarus better! Virtual Tour Letter to the President. Key Facts. Border Belarus shares border with five countries: Poland in the west, Lithuania in the northwest, Latvia and the Russian Federation in the north, the Russian Federation in the northeast and east, Ukraine in the south.

Size Belarus is a compact country with a slightly longer horizontal axis. Total area Belarus is a medium-sized European state. Terrain Belarus is located in the East European Platform. Minsk Oblast is the central region of Belarus. It is the only oblast without external borders.

Population According to the National Statistical Committee, as of 1 January the population of Belarus was 9,, The population of regions and oblast capitals as of 1 January : Brest Oblast — 1,, Brest — , ; Vitebsk Oblast — 1,, Vitebsk — , ; Gomel Oblast — 1,, Gomel — , ; Grodno Oblast — 1,, Grodno — , ; Mogilev Oblast — 1,, Mogilev — , ; Minsk Oblast — 1,, The population of Minsk is 2,, The average population density is 45 people per 1km2 as of 1 January State structure The Republic of Belarus is a unitary democratic welfare rule-of-law state.

The official languages are Belarusian and Russian. Belarus in Figures Latest data. No connection. They are camping in tents just inside Belarus, trapped between Polish guards on one side, and Belarusian guards on the other.

Overnight temperatures at the border have slumped below zero and several people have already died in recent weeks. Speaking on Tuesday at an emergency parliamentary session after visiting troops on the border, Mr Morawiecki said: "This attack which Lukashenko is conducting has its mastermind in Moscow, the mastermind is President Putin. He accused the Russian and Belarusian leaders of trying to destabilise the European Union - which the two countries are not part of - by allowing migrants to travel through Belarus and enter the bloc.

Mr Morawiecki described the situation as "a new type of war in which people are used as human shields", and said Poland was dealing with a "stage play" which is designed to create chaos in the EU. He added that it was the first time in 30 years that Poland's border security had been so "brutally attacked". Poland has deployed extra troops to the border, and warned of a possible "armed" escalation, fearing that Belarus might try to provoke an incident.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which are all part of the EU, have seen a surge in the number of people trying to enter their countries illegally from Belarus in recent months. On Tuesday, Lithuania declared a state of emergency on its border with Belarus, which will come into effect at midnight. Poland has seen the most arrivals, especially around its major border crossing at Kuznica. Poland has been accused of pushing migrants back across the border into Belarus, contrary to international rules of asylum.

Journalists and aid agencies have been banned from accessing the area. He described how he had arrived in Belarus's capital, Minsk, from Baghdad at the start of November, and was now in a make-shift camp metres from Poland's barbed-wire fence. Every night they fly helicopters. They don't let us sleep. We are so hungry. There's no water or food here.

There are little children, old men and women, and families. The European Commission has accused Mr Lukashenko of luring migrants with the false promise of easy entry to the EU as part of an "inhuman, gangster-style approach". Brussels says his actions are a retaliation against EU sanctions, which were imposed after his widely discredited re-election and subsequent crackdown on mass protests.

Activists say the migrants are being used as pawns in a political game between Belarus and its EU neighbours.