Hundreds of evacuated Afghan citizens stuck in limbo
Many Afghan citizens who were relocated to third countries after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal remain stuck in camps resembling “prisons,” still in limbo. According to a report by The Guardian, three years after leaving Afghanistan, they have little hope of resettling in another country.
U.S. officials have not disclosed the exact number of Afghans still trapped in third countries, but human rights activists estimate that hundreds remain in temporary centers across over thirty-six countries. These refugees are facing significant challenges, including mental health issues, inadequate facilities, separation from families, and the fear of being forcibly returned to Afghanistan.
The Guardian revealed this information through documents obtained after a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of State. The countries where these refugees are held remain unspecified, but refugee advocates have indicated that most Afghan evacuees are being kept in the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Qatar, and Kosovo.
Recently, the U.S. government reached an agreement with the Philippines to temporarily accept some Afghan refugees for resettlement processing. As of April 2023, over 2,800 refugees are in Qatar, 1,256 in the UAE, 259 in Kosovo, and dozens in other countries.
The U.S. Department of State has stated that most refugees have been transferred from the UAE, with about 50 individuals still remaining there. The spokesperson also mentioned that efforts to resettle eligible Afghans have been ongoing since 2021, with applicants living in third countries under U.S. authorization and funding.
As of fiscal year 2024, the U.S. has issued over 33,000 special immigrant visas for Afghan refugees. Since the U.S. announced its withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2021, over 1.6 million people have fled the country.
Human rights defenders have previously expressed concern over the conditions in refugee camps in the UAE, Kosovo, and Qatar. In 2023, Human Rights Watch reported poor conditions for over 2,700 Afghan refugees in the UAE, and there have been reports of hunger strikes and suicide attempts in Qatar and Kosovo.
The Kosovo camp is informally referred to as “Little Guantanamo” because refugees were told that leaving the camp would result in the rejection of their immigration applications to the U.S. Many complaints have also been raised about how immigration cases are being handled. In one case, an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s was transferred to the U.S., while her companions remained stuck in the UAE.
As Afghan refugees wait for resettlement, uncertainty looms, especially with the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House. Shawn Vander, a former U.S. Navy veteran who worked on Afghan evacuation efforts, expressed concerns that Trump might halt refugee admissions as he did during his first term.
The plight of Afghan refugees stuck in limbo highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis. While international organizations and activists continue to push for better treatment and resettlement options, many refugees face an uncertain future, trapped in camps with no clear path forward.
The prolonged uncertainty faced by these refugees not only affects their mental and physical well-being but also underscores the need for a more compassionate and efficient resettlement process that can provide them with safety and stability.
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