Unofficial Migrant Leader – On Living in a Tent Town: Maybe Something Good Will Happen Soon

In front of the young people their modest luggage is piled up, three of them only have bags with clothes, the others have small backpacks. They all look scared, they seem to turn around soon.

“They are very scared in Belarus, some have said that they are taking things from them, they still beat them and push them across the border.” I have heard from our border guards many times about such cruel treatment by neighbors that they have started a hybrid assault.

You want to play football?

Most of the detained visitors claim not to speak English. However, border guards say they are only silent at first and speak boldly. I manage to talk to a young man.

“Will they help us here? I hope nobody threatens us. Will you help us here? ”Asks the migrant first in fluent English.

When asked what he is fleeing from and why he feels insecure, the 26-year-old from Sierra Leone begins to tell a story about political instability in the country.

“My father belonged to the opposition party, which killed him during the elections. My family began to be persecuted, so my uncle bought me a ticket to Minsk so that I could obtain asylum in the European Union, ”he tells the story so coldly and quickly that you can get the impression that he is not telling his life. but reciting a well learned poem.

The fact that these stories are rarely confirmed is also demonstrated by the migrant applications already examined; So far, none of them have been granted refugee status in Lithuania.

The interlocutor explains that he would be happy to stay in Lithuania and, if the opportunity arose, to travel to Germany. The most important thing is to be in the Schengen area. When asked what he would do here, the migrant responded wanting to exploit his talents.

“I want to play football. If I find a good team and a good coach here, I will be able to use my talent, sign a contract and get paid,” he explains. It is true that he did not play football professionally in his homeland, but he is convinced that it is not too late to reach the heights.

The guy says he did not see any officials and did not face any obstacles when crossing the border in Belarus.

The camp leader

While speaking to a future footballer, Ali himself, who crossed the border illegally a couple of weeks ago, reassures other newcomers. Since no one has a passport with them, Ali helps border guards communicate and collect data on newcomers by learning 5 languages: names, dates of birth, and countries of origin.

“It just came to our notice then. The coronavirus tests had to be taken from the Africans, it was impossible to talk to them, Ali came and put them all together in three minutes,” an official said of the irreplaceable helper.

Radiating confidence and charisma, a small but strong Iraqi has become a one-sided leader in this refugee camp, overseeing order and helping address emerging issues.

“It just came to our notice then. Do you know why? They like the system and see that I take it seriously – Ali is taking a step towards the tent town – If bad people come, we kick them out because they are yelling, planning something bad. I have a secret team of 6 people who speak different languages. They monitor everything, collect information if someone plans to attack the officers or jump a fence. I have two bodyguards if someone is not satisfied with my work and wants to attack me. “

It shows where more than a hundred migrants live: people dance, chat, play soccer. They are constantly monitored by at least a couple of guards.

According to Ali, if someone plans to fight or cause trouble, he finds out beforehand and prevents it.

“I work long hours, I don’t relax, I don’t sleep much. If someone attacks the guards, escapes, it would be bad for everyone, both asylum seekers and officials. Then we will fall. So, I make sure everyone is careful. We need a system, we love the system because we don’t have it at home ”, says the interlocutor.

When asked about the residents of the camp, Ali hints that the problems stem from immigrants from Africa. But he was asked to tell it in more detail, he thinks.

“Africans are different. I don’t want to talk about it … alone, no comment. But they listen to me. Sorry, I’m not going to talk about it,” he replies.

Border guards confirm that there is truth in Ali’s words. Immigrants from Africa live in disorder, littering everywhere, but when instructed, Ali immediately gets up and listens to him.

The informal migrant leader himself says that he has lived in Europe for several years, is married to a Finn and has a son. However, in Finland, someone discovered that their marriage was fictitious, so they were deported back to Baghdad. The question of why he chose the way back to Europe via Lithuania makes the interlocutor laugh.

“You are smart, you are not children, you understand everything. Because Lukashenko opened the border. Lukashenko said this through the news. Get a visa and fly out of Baghdad. From Minsk for 7 thousand. Euros can take you to Germany. I went just because I know everything, I know maps. This was not the case before: I was imprisoned in Belarus, screaming, kicking, killing. There is no good country there, there is dictatorship. But no more. Now you can go, “says Ali.

An avalanche of complaints

Other residents of the camp, a platoon of several dozen people, soon gathered to share their troubles. His dissatisfaction with the situation grows day by day.

“It’s a disaster here, we don’t have telephones, our families don’t know anything about us for 15 days,” the young Iraqi spoke with tears in his eyes. – The same food every day. There are no bathrooms, we only have cold water. Boys cannot smoke. We don’t have clothes, we have the same clothes, we have to wash them every day. We need your help, from other countries, we are refugees. “

However, the author of these lines could see with his own eyes that all this is not true. At least clean toilets and showers are provided for migrants.

Another boy first thanked Lithuania for accepting them here, but explained that they were not well cared for.

“We know that there is not a good situation in Lithuania itself. But we hope the government is better, we want more. We are grateful to the Lithuanian government, but we want better conditions if they can,” he said.

Border guards hear about the great love for Lithuania from most of the migrants, but they no longer believe in their sincerity.

“Come on, let’s say, we love Lithuania, we want to be here, and the next day we will find out that the same people are being detained trying to cross the border into Poland,” the official said.

Ali confirms that the mood at the camp is increasingly tense.

“It just came to our attention then. They don’t think it’s a free country here. It doesn’t seem like peace. Even prison is better. There you can at least use the phone. We were private here. But we’re waiting. Maybe something good will happen soon.” smiled.

The threat of the Chechens

We visit the border post of Švendubrė, where there is now another tent town. At night it is quiet here, only loud snoring can be heard from the tents.

Until now, the main task of the border guards has been to catch Nerimi contraband, disguised as ice.

Upon arrival, they bring 6 detained migrants tonight. Newcomers receive new folding beds, sleeping bags not yet unpacked,

When asked how much space is left here, the border guard shows zero with his fingers. If even more visitors cross the border at night, it is unknown where to host them.

Another threat is the arrest of a group of Chechens. They asked for asylum saying they were gay and could not stay in their homeland.

So far, they are not aggressive, but they must keep separate from other immigrants as conflicts would be almost inevitable. If we saw an even larger influx of Chechens, the threats would become extremely serious.