Disappeared Burundian Handball Players Request Shelter in Belgium
Almost the entire Burundian youth handball team, which mysteriously disappeared during the World Championship in Croatia, has arrived in Belgium to seek refuge. Two out of the ten "missing" players have already filed their requests. Other team members are also in Belgium, as confirmed by Nicole de Moor (CD&V), the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration.
The minister did not comment on individual cases but pointed to Croatia's responsibility: "These Burundian citizens entered Europe through this country. Therefore, they are Croatia's responsibility."
"Our services will contact Croatia to arrange their return there," explained Nicole de Moor. "However, this is only possible if it concerns adults," she added.
However, according to Croatian media reports, this is not the case. It is reported that the missing team members were born in 2006, making them 17 years old.
"Our country is already under much greater pressure than many other countries," emphasized Nicole de Moor, and once again called for the European Pact on Migration to combat migrant transit.
The Burundian team arrived in Croatia on August 2nd and settled in Rijeka, one of the host cities of the U19 Youth Handball World Championship, which took place from August 2nd to 13th. However, on Wednesday, August 9th, one day before the match against Bahrain, 10 out of 13 players suddenly disappeared. They left their accommodation, disappeared without a trace, and were unreachable.
As a result of Burundi's losses, having lost all their matches up to that point, they were forced to concede to Bahrain and then New Zealand with a score of 10-0.
The Croatian police began investigating, publishing photos of the players.
Initially, the police investigation yielded little, but on Friday, the Croatian police received news from Belgium. Belgian authorities reported that ten young Burundian citizens had requested asylum in the country.
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in East Africa, with over half of its 6 million population living in poverty. In the 18th century, Burundi was occupied by Germany, and in the 20th century, it was under Belgian administration. Due to the worsening economic situation across the country, armed crime rates are rising.