16.02.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Some 3,000 Afghan refugees in Tajikistan see resettlement, not repatriation as their solution ("Focus on Afghan refugees") [#19348],  [ID 2490]

"[...]"I don't want to return to Afghanistan. I want to be resettled," Rahima Sakhidod, a 38-year-old, told IRIN in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe. "There is no future for me here."

Arriving from the northern Afghan city of Konduz 12 years ago following the death of her husband, she yearns to begin a new life outside of Tajikistan, preferably in North America or Western Europe. "I don't care where I'm resettled," the mother-of-four said matter-of-factly. "I just want to go to a country where I can educate my children."
[...]
Most Afghans arrived in the mountainous Central Asian state of 6.5 million in the early to mid 1990s, after the fall of the Najibullah regime, while a good number came after the Taliban took over.
[...]
According to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), many of these individuals had been processed and had refugee status, though there were some persons whose status had yet to be confirmed, and who consequently were referred to as asylum seekers.

And while more than 2.5 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries since the collapse of the Taliban government in late 2001, the chances of seeing any sizeable return from Tajikistan, which shares over 1,200 km of common frontier with the beleaguered nation, remains minimal. Their status in the impoverished nation is actually better than most Afghans living elsewhere.

"In many ways they feel at home here," Nicholas Coussidis, representative for UNHCR in Tajiksitan told IRIN in Dushanbe. And with the vast majority of them being of Tajik ethnicity, it's not hard to understand why.

"There is definitely an informal integration of Afghans taking place, much more common as found in Pakistan and Iran," the UNHCR official explained, noting many were in mixed marriages, worked or had businesses, while some of their children attended local schools.

But that has not always been the case, with reported incidents of discrimination, particularly when it came to employment, as well as cases of detentions and deportations due to expired documentation. "There was no proper status determination procedure. There was not very positive refugee legislation," Coussidis explained.
[...]"

Document(s): Open document

03.10.2002 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

– IRIN: Deportation of Afghans halted ("Tajikistan: Deportation of Afghans halted") [#8796],  [ID 2491]

"Foreign diplomats in Tajikistan have received government assurances that there will be no further deportations of Afghan refugees. The pledge followed an incident in September when nine Afghan refugees were forced to leave. "We are pleased with the response from the government and we hope the remaining Afghan community will be safe," UK ambassador to Tajikistan, Michael Smith, told IRIN from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe."

Document(s): Open document

20.09.2002 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR Briefing Note: Deportation of Afghan refugees from Tajikistan ("Afghans deported from Tajikistan") [#8666],  [ID 2492]

"UNHCR is very concerned about the fate of nine Afghan refugees who were deported back to their homeland early Tuesday by the Tajikistan government.

The refugees, all men, were separated from their families on Monday and detained by the Tajik authorities, we were told. We believe that one of the refugees deported on Tuesday was a minor, a 17 year–old boy. We understand that a tenth refugee picked up Monday remains in detention.

UNHCR has written to the Tajik authorities protesting the detention and deportation of these refugees, individuals who may face grave danger back in Afghanistan because of their association with previous Afghan regimes who may still fear for their safety if sent back to Afghanistan.

In recent months we have helped more than 9,200 Afghan refugees voluntarily repatriate from Tajikistan in regular return movements. The latest UNHCR–assisted repatriation took place on Wednesday, when some 50 persons were helped home. Some 3,000 refugees remain in Tajikistan.

Refugees in Tajikistan are in a particularly precarious situation following the suspension of screening for refugee status determination by the authorities two years ago. Without a status determination procedure, Afghan refugees in Tajikistan find themselves in a legal limbo. This, we believe, must be corrected immediately.

Despite the improvements that have taken place in Afghanistan over recent months, including the establishment of the Transitional Authority under President Karzai, which have helped to encourage more than 1.7 million people to voluntarily return home, this is not the time to force any recognized refugees to return to Afghanistan.

Some areas of Afghanistan, particularly in the north and also eastern border regions near Pakistan, remain tense. Troops allied to various commanders continue to engage in fighting. More than 920,000 people are still internally displaced and unable to return to their home areas. We believe that the winter will pose a particular hardship for more than 560,000 people, and we are trying to stockpile emergency supplies of blankets, stoves, tents and plastic tarpaulins. Food stocks for the many millions of impoverished Afghans also remain limited."

Document(s): Open document