The story of a Syrian refugee who died in Belarus trying to reach the EU

25 May 2024

Ahmad, a Syrian refugee, spent the last five years in Lebanon with his wife, Afraa, and their five children. They worked as farmers in greenhouses owned by a Lebanese individual, but their situation turned dire when the owner sexually harassed Afraa and subsequently evicted them. 

Facing discrimination, such as their children being barred from attending school, they made the difficult decision to travel elsewhere. Ahmad borrowed $8,000 for the journey, hoping to reach Europe and later bring his family to join him. However, tragedy struck in Belarus when Ahmad, exhausted from the arduous journey through the forests of Eastern Europe, suffered a fatal stroke. 

His companions abandoned his body in the wild for two days before Afraa and her sister, resorting to every means possible, managed to locate him through the Red Cross and MSF. At the Afraa's request the funeral of her deceased husband was organized in accordance with Islamic burial practices and customs with the support of local actors. At the same time, the MSF team in Lebanon began providing her with mental health support. Now pregnant, Afraa is left to care for her five children, who are in desperate need of assistance.

The people of Syria continue to be affected directly and indirectly by the consequences of more than 12 years of war that has affected the country's infrastructure, particularly the health sector, pushed people to poverty, and has killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. More than one million Syrian refugees are living in Lebanon in poor conditions. Lebanon is currently facing its worst financial and social crisis in decades, making life even more difficult for Lebanese people and Syrian refugees in the country.

"It's been incredibly hard to come to terms with my husband's passing on his journey to Europe. Perhaps God is granting me patience now. I feel lost, especially with my five children depending on me. There's no financial support, and I can't see a hopeful future for my family here in Lebanon" 

Afraa

The overlapping crises in Lebanon have severely impacted availability and affordability of basic services including healthcare services, leaving most of the population relying on humanitarian assistance to access healthcare. The recent announcement of UNHCR’s reduction of healthcare coverage for Syrian refugees is highly alarming, as it constitutes a lifeline for millions of refugees having fled violence and conflict. This has resulted in many refugees, such as Ahmad, choosing to leave Lebanon in hope of reaching the European Union (EU). 

With few safe passages to Europe, and amid spiralling conflicts, crises, insecurity and deepening global inequality, Belarus has remained a transit country for people on the move. This is despite the mounting fortification and militarization of the external borders of the EU.

Many people MSF spoke to described having to walk through Belarus for days towards the border, camping out in forests and facing dangers along the way. Some also told MSF that, following an attempt to cross the border, they were forced to return to Belarus, where they became stranded in towns or cities, living isolated lives in fear of deportation and the police. Most told MSF teams that they felt trapped and abandoned in Belarus and believed that the only choices open to them were to continue trying to cross into the EU or to live in hiding in Belarus.