People are dying of cold and hunger at the doors of Europe, Nidal Ibrahim tells Al Jazeera from the Belarusian border.
Thousands of refugees and migrants trying to cross into the European Union are stranded along the Belarusian border as Poland has denied them entry amid a standoff with Belarus. Fears for their safety are growing due to freezing conditions, a lack of vital supplies and medical care, and a spate of deaths on both sides of the border. Nidal Ibrahim, a Syrian refugee stranded at the border, tells Al Jazeera’s Sara Cincurova about the suffering he and others have endured. Here is his story in his own words.
I am Nidal Ibrahim from Aleppo, I am 37 years old, and I am dying.
Me, my friend Muhammad and his four children came to the Belarusian border along with other refugees. We hoped that we would reach Europe, but we are now stuck in the forests without water, drinking from swamps, without any food. The temperature outside is -5 or -7.
I am only alive because I also have three children who stayed with my wife in Turkey. For their sake, I must survive. I love them and miss them very much.
I usually cannot sleep because of the cold and the rain, but when I do, I dream about my wife and children and how we might live together in a safe place. I dream about my children going to school. But at any moment, I can die.
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