Afghan Refugees “An Ode to Destiny”

Has 9/11 ignited the Afghan Refugee Crisis? 

Introduction:

The worst of the fighting may be over in Afghanistan but aid agencies warn that the refugee crisis will not be solved for many years to come (Human Rights Watch world Report, 2002). If the humanitarian situation was bad for Afghan civilians, displaced persons, and refugees before the September 11 attacks on the U.S., it has only been worsened after the incident.  Twenty nine years of foreign invasion and civil war, political instability, continuing human rights abuses and the recent drought in the country has already displaced more than five million of Afghanistan’s 27 million people (Population Survey jointly conducted by UNAMA and Afghan Government, 2004).  Some four million refugees have been displaced to neighboring countries (Statistics provided by UNHCR, Pakistani and Iranian Government) and across the world, while a further one million Afghans had to internally migrate within Afghanistan (ICRC, UNHCR, UNAMA and Afghan Government).  Severe droughts have brought the country to an extremely volatile situation, while the existence of the Taliban and Alqaeda elements and growing insurgency in the country, are resulting in restrictions on relief agencies and thus severely damaging the process of delivery of assistance to the needy and vulnerable. 
 

Firstly, I will attempt to provide brief background information on the crisis of the Afghan refugees and its causes. Next, I will discuss the negative impacts; the incident of September 11 and the aftermath have brought to Afghan refugees, who are scattered around the world. Thirdly, justification provided by the host/receiving countries, for not abiding by the International law and international customary law, in regard to addressing Afghan refugees issues in their respected countries will be stated. Finally, an analysis of the short and longer term consequences caused by the negative impacts, resulted by the crisis, on refugees and change in attitude/approach of the world towards handling the biggest single country displacement crisis, will be provided.  

The Afghan Refugee Crises:

The Afghan refugee crisis is approximately 29 years old. Since 1978, as many as a third of Afghanistan’s 27 million inhabitants have been forced to flee their homes, either temporarily or permanently (Human Rights Watch, 2002).

The first time, Afghan refugees had to flee their homes, was in April of that year, when the country’s new communist regime introduced a massive agricultural reform program that the rural population deeply resented and resisted. In December 1979, the Soviet Union, being concerned that the communist government in Kabul may lose the ground, occupied Afghanistan and placed a puppet regime. After the occupying forces commenced a wave of terror on the civilian population, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled out of Afghanistan. Within two years of the invasion, some 1.5 million Afghans were refugees, mostly in Pakistan and Iran (UNHCR).  

By 1986, the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran had grown to nearly 5 million. The US and other Western countries were by now supporting the Islamist resistance movement known as the “Mujahideen” in their fight against the Soviet-led government. At the same time, the West provided money to Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. Many of these camps were used as bases for the Mujahideen. The international community did not provide similar assistance to Afghan refugees in Iran, because an anti-west regime was in power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) regularly had its presence, How ever this commission was very poorly funded in comparison to its operations in other countries. 

When the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989, they left another communist regime in power, which the Mujahideen defeated in April 1992. Afghan refugees welcomed the victory of Mujahideen, and over the course of 1992 more than 1.4 million refugees returned home. But instead of bringing peace to Afghanistan, the Mujahideen conquest resulted in opening a new chapter in the conflict, as warlords indulged in fighting one another for small pieces of territory. 
 
 
 

The Negative Impacts of September 11 on Afghan Refugees:

Fears of a mass influx of Afghan refugees after September 11, has provoked several countries to introduce harsh policies, there for most of those doors, which used to welcome and receive Afghan refugees, have closed on them. A large number of Afghan asylum seekers have received a harsh response from some of these countries. For example, in 2001, Australia turned back a loaded boat of mainly Afghan asylum seekers who were rescued by a Norwegian ship, from a sinking Indonesian boat, and refused to allow them to enter into Australian territory.  The four hundred and thirty eight asylum seekers were eventually sent to New Zealand (Human Rights Watch).

Borders of all the six countries neighboring Afghanistan, which includes Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China, are officially closed for refugees. Both Pakistan and Iran have also tightened their refugee policies in recent years. There-fore push-backs and deportations of Afghan asylum seekers have been witnessed frequently (UNHCR “Afghanistan’s annual report for” 2006).  

According to US committee for refugees; the Basic Rights of Afghan refugees, as described in various international Conventions and Protocols, are witnessed to have been violated in some countries, mainly Iran and Pakistan (Ruiz and Margaret 2002), while the reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denotes that, Many Afghans suffer persecution in Pakistan and Iran. They are arrested and thus detained/kept in prisons without any criminal charges. They do not have equal economic/job opportunities and are thus deprived of earning livelihood for their respective families. Afghan refugees have very limited access to health and education facilities in these countries. Afghans are witnessed to have been prevented from socially integrating in to the local communities and are obliged to live isolated lives inside refugee camps. They are constantly kept in an environment of stress, tension and fear since the incident of 9/11. It is reported that in some cases Afghans do not have the right to move, express their point of views or decide for a voluntary return based on informed decision making, back to their country.  

Justification by Host/receiving countries:

Recipient countries for Afghan refugees, particularly the neighbors; justify, the closure of their respective borders based on security concerns and the unavailability of adequate resources (funds and donations) to receive and thus absorb more refugees. Host/recipient countries, mainly Pakistan and Iran, take the position that, since the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, which caused most “long-term” refugees to flee, has ended, there for refugees should return home. These governments claim that the home areas of many long-term refugees are free of conflict, and that many Afghans who have entered those countries since mid-2001 are victims of drought (economic migrants), not refugees, while the Large number of Afghan refugees is considered a security threat, mainly in the post 9/11 scenario. As a reason for reluctance, the host governments state that, Afghan Refugees are an unwanted burden on their economy, while it is proving to be a factor in the political instability of host countries. These countries also claim that, some Afghan Refugees are reported to have been involved in committing crimes and thus menacing the social set up.

Mr. Richard Boucher (US, Assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs), states in his report in March 2007 “The political, economic, and reconstruction milestones Afghanistan has achieved are extraordinary, which has influenced the decision of about 4.7 million refugees from Pakistan and Iran to return” 

An Analysis of the Short and Long term consequences of the Crises:

The basic rights of Afghan refugees, as defined in the International Law, International customary law and the 1951 Geneva Convention have occasionally been exploited, particularly in the neighboring countries, Pakistan and Iran. Statistics and reports, based on various surveys and independent investigations, conducted by “Human Rights Watch”, “Amnesty International”, “International Committee of the Red Crescent”, and other humanitarian and charitable organizations denote that discrimination against Afghan refugees, based on gender, race, representation of a particular social group language and political opinion could be easily witnessed in the afore mentioned two neighboring countries.   

Closure of borders by the six neighboring countries, directly endanger the main refugee protection standards, in particular the right to seek and enjoy asylum, which is set out in article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the principle of non-refoulement (the right of refugees not to be returned to a country where their lives or freedom could harmed/endangered, which is stated under article 33 of the Refugee Convention). Iran, China, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are all parties to this convention and are there for bound by the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Although Pakistan and Uzbekistan are not parties to the convention, the obligation of non-refoulement is now considered as a generally accepted principle of customary international law, there for it is binding on them as well.  

After the 9/11 incident, many Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan the United Kingdom (Amnesty International “AI”, July 2003) and some other countries are either forcibly returned or have been compelled to an induced/indirect force option (making life miserable for them through persecution, financial penalties, discrimination in economic, educational and health care opportunities).

Sonali Kolhatkar “a renowned Human Rights Activist” writes: “Refugees, whose (sometimes forced) return was loudly praised by the Bush administration as evidence of Afghan freedom, are now homeless in their own country and have turned parts of Kabul into squatters’ camps”. 

Taking in to consideration, the above mentioned facts and figures; the world should be morally obligated to help Afghan refugees. International aid agencies should take on the moral obligation of helping Afghan refugees remaining in the host countries, by sustaining them with their basic everyday needs until the new government is well enough established to promote a solid lasting peace among the warring parties. This is going to take some time.

Before relocating/Repatriating, they need a stable government free of warlords, proper shelters and all refugees must be screened from drug traffic, Taliban/Al Qaeda connection and weapons.

A Journal (Afrika Zamani, 2001) writes: “Not long ago, Afghans were hailed in the Western press as the romantic heroes of the 20th century. Now they are considered invading refugees, perceived in some circles to be at best a burden on any Western society that would take them in, or at worst terrorist who will blow up the people who host them”  

At present, more than ever, Afghans deserve the continued help of the international community as they begin the difficult process of reclaiming their nation, feeding their children, removing landmines, resettling the refugees, and most importantly building an infrastructure before the refugees are forcefully repatriated. I will conclude with a quote from Ahmad Hussein, a 12-year-old Afghan Refugee child: “My greatest wish is to be happy, to learn to read and write, to have warm shoes and eat as much as I want to. I want to return home” (Refugees Global Overview).