Belgian refugee camp in Brussels’ city centre
On Wednesday 18 November, a refugee camp was set up in the city centre, as a temporary measure as the Belgian government failed to provide accommodation for more than a 1000 asylum seekers. The NGO’s involved were CIRE, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, Caritas International, Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde.
On Friday 20 November, the Belgian Council of Ministers introduced measures to try to resolve the asylum seekers’ reception crisis. 420 accommodation places should be freed in the coming days. The NGO’s welcomed the measures considering them “a step forward” while warning that the reception problems will still need a structural answer. On Monday 23 November, the NGO’s decided to close the refugee camp down as they feared that the tensions rising between the asylum seekers and the police would lead to confrontations. During the 5 days of existence of the camp 250 persons were given shelter and medical assistance.
Source: Medecins du Monde Belgique
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