Refugee crisis: 500 asylum seekers sheltering just miles away from EU summit in Belgium

Belgium’s reception network has 32,046 asylum seekers, up from 13,844 in July 2015

People taking part in a rally asking for a change in the refugee policy in Europe as part of an international initiative in favour of better living conditions of migrants, in Brussels, Belgium

(Reuters)

Just 35 miles east of Brussels, where David Cameron and his fellow EU leaders meet on 6 March, is the Sint-Truiden reception centre, where 500 refugees are sheltering.

Mohammed, a grey-haired, 40-year-old in sweat pants and plastic slippers has been there for seven months, after fleeing the city of Fallujah, where Isis and the Iraqi army are struggling for control. “I left when my four brothers were killed,” Mohammed says, his eyes welling up at the memory. He whips out his cellphone and reveals gruesome pictures of dead bodies. “This one, here, was killed with electric shock,” he says, showing a photograph of a limp, lifeless corpse.

Mohammed’s tale is all too familiar to refugees who have sought sanctuary in Europe in the past year. Belgium’s reception network has 32,046 asylum seekers, up from 13,844 in July 2015. Then capacity was 16,000, but in a few months it has more than doubled as new housing has been found.

Sint-Truiden was half-full last spring; now it is almost at capacity. The army helped bring in mobile habitation units to cope, and the centre’s sports hall was briefly used for some refugees. More than half are single men. They are typically housed four to a small room, about 3 by 4.5 metres.

Syrians and Iraqis mingle with Somalis and Sri Lankans as they attempt to learn Dutch and find jobs. They play football with the staff. The Afghans like cricket, but have yet to persuade the others to join in. “They come from a war zone, they have their traumas, some of them are really vulnerable,” says Simon Vanmechelen, the centre’s director. “The first thing they need is safety. And quiet. That can take time.”