the migratory crisis could last “months, even years”, assures the Polish Minister of Defense

The situation is getting bogged down on the border between Belarus and Poland. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak warned on Wednesday (November 17th) that the crisis on the Belarusian border “could last for months or even years”, claiming that migrants had again “attacked the Polish border” overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Polish security forces on Tuesday used tear gas and deployed water cannons to push back migrants who threw stones at them while trying to cross the border, the eastern limit of the European Union. A few thousand migrants, mainly from the Middle East, are still camping on the side of Belarus, members of the European Union accusing Minsk of having orchestrated the crisis since the summer.

“The situation on the Polish-Belarusian border will not be resolved quickly”, developed the Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaszczak on the Polish public radio “PR1”. Polish border guards recorded a total of Tuesday “161 attempted illegal crossings” borders, including “two attempts at forced passage”, according to a statement. Polish police said Wednesday that nine officials were injured in the clashes on Tuesday, as well as a border guard and a soldier.