Afghanistan 10 years after Soviet pull-out
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
A decade after the last Soviet soldier left Afghan soil, and 20 years after the first groups of Afghan refugees fled the Soviet invasion, more than 2.6 million Afghans still remain in exile.
The Afghans have remained the single largest refugee group in the world for 19 years in succession, although their continuing plight has, in recent years, been overshadowed by newer conflicts and refugee movements elsewhere in the world.
By the end of 1979 - the year the Soviet army entered Afghanistan in support of the communist regime which had seized power the previous year - there were already 400,000 refugees in Pakistan and 200,000 in Iran. By 15 February 1989, the number had risen to a staggering 6.2 million, split almost equally between the two neighbouring countries, which showed extraordinary generosity in hosting such a vast number of refugees on their territory, despite the burden they represented to their own societies, environment and infrastructure. In both Iran and Pakistan, the refugees were allowed to work, and received considerable government support in the education and health sectors.
Since the Soviet withdrawal, almost two thirds of the refugees have returned to their devastated and poverty-stricken country, despite the outbreak of a new war between different Afghan groups competing for power. In all, more than 4 million Afghans have returned home voluntarily since 1989 - another refugee record - and a remarkable testimony to their courage.
While it was the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan that caused the majority of the refugees to flee, it is subsequent events - almost uninterrupted fighting between constantly shifting alliances of Afghan political groups and militias, continued human rights abuses, and a shattered economy and infrastructure - that is preventing the final settlement of the Soviet legacy.
The strength of the refugees' desire to rebuild their lives in their home country was amply demonstrated in 1992, after the communist government, shorn of its superpower support, finally fell from power. During the course of that year, a total of 1.6 million refugees went home. In 1993, another million followed suit, even though by then the capital city, Kabul, was being torn apart by infighting between different Afghan factions.
By the late 1990s, the numbers returning to relatively safe parts of the country - of which there are plenty - were still adding up to around 100,000 a year. However, many of the remaining refugees are understandably reluctant to return under current circumstances.
Related news and stories
Women-run businesses in Afghanistan dealt a blow by deepening restrictions
UNHCR launches new appeal for Afghan refugees and hosts, urging partners to stay the course
I had to flee for my education, but refused to leave other Afghan girls to their fate
Former refugee, now volunteer teacher, helps other Afghan girls get an education
Families struggle for survival during Afghanistan's coldest winter in a decade
Afghan women affected by Taliban bans on work and study fear for their futures
Your search for « soviet afghanistan » matched 595 results. Displaying page 13 of 67 pages.
-
UNHCR Global Appeal 1999 - Afghanistan
1 Dec 1998 ... Save the Children Fund (USA,) Danish Committee for Aid to Afghanistan (DACAAR), International ... Afghan refugees began fleeing to neighbouring countries in large numbers following the Soviet ...... -
UNHCR Kyrgyzstan uses all tools to secure a future for refugees
7 Jun 2004 ... ... None has been locally integrated so far and few have returned. Some were students in Kyrgyzstan when war raged against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s, others were associated with the ...... -
Feature: Stranded Afghans find a better life at temporary site
29 Aug 2002 ... ... De-mining crews did find 10 anti-tank mines, planted by mujahideen guerrillas in the area during their 1980s war with the Soviet occupation force in Afghanistan, but no anti-personnel mines. Further ...... -
UNHCR running out of funds as Afghan returns surge
2 Apr 2002 ... of the Soviet-backed communist government in Kabul. UNHCR said the speed of the return has quickly drained the funds UNHCR had earmarked for the repatriation. Those returning to Afghanistan receive ...... -
International Conference on the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees to Support Voluntary Repatriation, Sustainable Reintegration and Assistance to Host Countries, Geneva, 2 May 2012. Keynote Speech by Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi
2 May 2012 ... ... of the way in which the international community turned its back on Afghanistan after the Soviet Union withdrew from the country in 1989. Are you going to turn your back again on Afghanistan? ...... -
Refugees Magazine Issue 113 (Europe : The debate over asylum) - Eastern Europe: Learning to deal with refugees
1 Jan 1999 ... People from as far away as Afghanistan, from former Soviet Central Asia and the Middle East still try to 'transit' central Europe en route to the more prosperous West, but a small and increasing ...... -
The State of The World's Refugees 2000: Fifty Years of Humanitarian Action - Chapter 8: Displacement in the former Soviet region
1 Jan 2000 ... ... and glasnost (openness), the Soviet attitude towards the organization began to change. Faced with such challenges as resolving the conflicts in Cambodia and Afghanistan, both of which entailed the ...... -
Afghanistan, RLN December 2004
1 Dec 2004 ... ... in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Reconstruction. The loss of human resources that Afghanistan experienced following the Soviet invasion of 1979 is often referred to as the ‘brain drain’. ...... -
UNHCR Country Operations Plan 2004 - Ukraine
1 Sep 2003 ... ... Of these recognised refugees, 2,966 continued to be registered as residing in Ukraine at the beginning of 2003. 53% of them originate from Afghanistan, 30% from countries of the former Soviet Union, ......