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UNHCR alarm over forced Afghan refugees returns from Tajikistan
On Thursday, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, warned of the danger faced by Afghan refugees who continue to be detained and deported from Tajikistan, reiterating that it’s illegal to force those fleeing persecution back to their homeland.
In the latest incident, some five Afghans, including a family comprising three children and their mother, were returned home to Afghanistan, despite UNHCR’s protests.
“Tajikistan must stop detaining and deporting refugees, an action that clearly puts lives at risk,” said Elizabeth Tan, UNHCR’s Director of International Protection. “Forced return of refugees is against the law and runs contrary to the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee law.”
Separate from legal ramifications, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also expressed concern on Thursday over the ability of returning refugees to make a living.
Richard Trenchard, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Afghanistan, warned that, “almost half the total population face acute food insecurity – hunger on a daily basis.”
The legal and physical perils faced by returning refugees have therefore been compounded by the ongoing food insecurity crisis, which has become more acute in the year since the Taliban takeover.
To combat this nascent crisis, the United States Government has announced an $80 million grant to the FAO. Specifically, the grant will be used to build Afghan resilience and bolster efforts to provide food security in the face of continuing drought, economic crisis and conflict.
The five-year contribution from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will meet farmers’ immediate needs and build healthier, more climate-smart and resilient livelihoods.
Through increasing nutritious food production, fostering environmental sustainability, promoting climate-smart agricultural practices and supporting the diversification of household incomes, FAO aims to revive struggling food markets.
As Mr. Trenchard reflected, “USAID’s generous support will help Afghanistan’s farmers to begin seeing beyond the current crisis and start laying foundations for future recovery.”
The direct outcome of investments by the US and FAO will be the increased production and processing of nutritious food. However, the butterfly effect of such development will be improved economic resilience, enhanced public health, and strengthed community security.
Significant environmental benefits will also be achieved through the planting of new forests, climate-smart pasture development, river bank management and reducing soil erosion.
The projects have been designed to encourage engagement by historically oppressed groups in safe income-generating activities.
FAO fosters gender inclusive and intergenerational collaboration to enhance access to local markets and create microfinancing opportunities.
These initiatives target various products including dairy, livestock, crops and aim both to give people tools such as zero-energy cold storages, micro solar dryers and equipment for safe collection and handling of milk and to expand frayed market infrastructures.
Therefore, these schemes are essential because they will not only meet immediate needs, but also eliminate the potential for future insecurity, FAO said.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs has met with Erik Zhumangarin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, and discussed the establishment of a railway network from Kazakhstan to Pakistan through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, the deputy PM’s office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Baradar emphasized the need to sign agreements to solve the banking problems of traders from both countries, the creation of Afghan-Kazakh joint companies, and the facilitation of visas for Afghan traders.
According to the statement, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said that the Kazakh government intends to establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce and a joint trade and labor group between the two countries, and is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in the sectors of e-governance, industry, higher education, education, health, and banking.
Following a two-day official visit to Pakistan, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a joint statement emphasizing the need to further expand commercial and economic cooperation and transform the common border of the two countries from a “border of peace” to “border of prosperity”.
The two leaders also strongly condemned aggressions and crimes of Israel in Gaza, and demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as well as unimpeded humanitarian access to the besieged people of Gaza.
Numerous other issues were also discussed but on the topic of Afghanistan, they jointly declared their commitment to the development of Afghanistan as a peaceful, united, independent country free from the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking.
According to the statement the two countries pointed out that the existence of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan is a serious threat to the security of the region and the world.
The two sides stressed their desire to strengthen cooperation in the field of fighting terrorism and ensuring security and creating a united front against terrorism.
They also discussed the importance of coordinating regional and international efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.
“While respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, the two sides recognized that increasing participation of all strata of Afghans in basic decision-making will lead to the strengthening of peace and stability in this country,” the statement read.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) says over 1,000 Afghan migrants were forcibly returned from Pakistan on Tuesday through Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar province, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that based on information provided by the Spin Boldak Kandahar border command, these returnees comprised 191 families, totalling 998 people.
In addition, three migrants released from Pakistani prisons were also returned, according to the statement.
The statement added that after registering the returnees, the refugees were referred to the offices of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Each family received 10,000 afghanis – paid to them by the Islamic Emirate.
In another statement, the ministry said that 2,783 migrants living in Iran voluntarily and forcibly returned to the country during this week.
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