In Poland, since last June, a steel wall has stretched over 186 kilometers along the Belarusian border.

Indeed, since April 2021, the regime of Alexander Lukashenko has exerted migratory pressure on this border by organizing the arrival of migrants on its territory and pushing them to reach Europe. In 2021, nearly 17,000 people attempted to cross this border. Although the number of attempts has decreased significantly, hundreds of people are still trying to reach Europe.

To prevent exiles from entering Poland, the Polish government has constructed an anti-intrusion wall. Its cost is estimated at 350 million euros. The border has also been militarized and equipped with electronic surveillance systems. Scientists have raised concerns about the environmental consequences, as it crosses the Bialowieza Forest, the last primary forest in Europe, which hosts a unique ecosystem with many protected species, such as the last European bison. The wall has also divided the local population, deeply affected by the state of emergency that prohibits access, along the 400 kilometers of border, to the media, NGOs, and people from outside Podlachia.

According to the Polish NGO "Grupa Granica," at least 28 people have died at this border while attempting to reach Europe.

Produced for "Le Monde."