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UN appeals for $14.4 million to support earthquake survivors in Herat
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on Friday launched an urgent appeal for $14.4 million to scale up its assistance for those affected by the tragic recent earthquakes in western Afghanistan.
“Hundreds of thousands of people in the province of Herat have been affected, requiring immediate assistance. The tremors, in quick succession, have left more than one thousand dead and thousands of others injured. Sadly, these estimated figures are likely to increase as the full scale of the disaster becomes apparent,” UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun said in a press briefing in Geneva.
She said that many survivors are forced to sleep under the open skies after the complete destruction of their mud houses in the affected zones.
“Immediate needs include emergency shelters, heaters, kitchen sets, clean water, food and warm clothing ahead of the cold winter months. Women and children are among those hardest hit. Refugee Housing Units (RHUs) will be provided to overcrowded hospitals to accommodate survivors of the earthquakes who are currently receiving casualty treatment and sleeping outdoors,” she said.
UNHCR teams have been on the ground since day one and are scaling up the response, delivering tents, blankets, and other relief items including solar lamps and hygiene kits to those who have been displaced and lost everything. “We are working to ensure that people with special needs are identified and receive the required support, including those with disabilities, older people and child- and female-headed households,” Byun said.
Hundreds of former U.S. officials are calling on Washington to cancel a reported plan to relocate Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. State Department, more than 600 former civilian and military officials, along with around 100 organizations, urged the administration to stop the proposed transfer. The letter was sent to Marco Rubio.
The signatories argue that the Afghan nationals in question were brought to Qatar by the United States to complete legal immigration procedures after undergoing extensive security vetting. The letter states that while the individuals were cleared for resettlement in the United States, they are now being considered for relocation to Congo, a country for which they were never screened.
“Those individuals were vetted and approved for the United States, not for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the letter reads.
According to the report, more than 1,100 Afghan allies and their family members are currently being held at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under U.S. supervision. Around 800 of them have already completed all security checks and received authorization to travel to the United States. More than half are women and children, and many have remained in transit limbo for over 15 months.
The situation has drawn criticism from former officials and policy observers, who describe the proposed relocation as a betrayal of Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and risked their lives during the war in Afghanistan. Critics also warn that the move could damage U.S. credibility with future partners.
Several members of the U.S. Congress had previously expressed opposition to the proposal, cautioning that it could significantly undermine trust in the United States among its allies.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, stressing that it is up to Afghans themselves to bring about any change in their country.
In a post on X, Durrani said Afghans should be “left to their own devices” and that they would eventually “find the way out” of their challenges.
However, he warned that instability inside Afghanistan could have negative consequences for neighbouring countries, adding that Afghan leaders and their supporters should take responsibility to address such risks.
Durrani described his remarks as a simple expression of goodwill and best wishes for the Afghan people and their future.
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Uzbekistan and Japan discuss joint projects for Afghanistan’s socio-economic development
The Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, has met with Tetsuya Yamada, Director General of the South Asia Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to discuss cooperation on Afghanistan-related development projects.
According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides focused on the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at supporting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the Japanese side praised Uzbekistan’s “pragmatic approach” toward Afghanistan, as well as the infrastructure developed in the border city of Termez.
Japan also expressed interest in utilizing the Termez facilities for future humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, private sector development, and counter-narcotics efforts.
Both sides emphasized that such cooperation is aimed at improving the living conditions and overall well-being of the Afghan people.
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