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.
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Afghanistan: returns from Iran picking up
17 May 2002 ... In Afghanistan, more than 616,000 Afghan refugees have participated in UNHCR's assisted return programme since the operation got ... The numbers of returnees from Iran are starting to rise as well. More ...... -
Afghanistan: Return figures remaining steady
2 Sep 2003 ... The number of refugees going back to Afghanistan has remained steady at more than 10,000 returnees a week for the past month and half, showing strong continuing momentum. So far this year, more than ...... -
Afghanistan: Returns surge in May
6 Jun 2003 ... their homeland is expected to be the world's largest repatriation movement this year, though the returns from abroad will, ... for their homes in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, a ...... -
Afghanistan at the crossroads: Afghans return home to live under tents
17 Nov 2008 ... After 23 years of exile in Pakistan, Qayum and his family returned home to northern Afghanistan six months ... But when they tried to return there at the end of May, the local tribe protested and ...... -
Tripartite meeting agrees to look at new ways to encourage returns from Iran
10 Oct 2006 ... on Tuesday wrapped up a two-day meeting on voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan with agreement to look at new ways to encourage refugees to return home amid falling numbers of returnees from Iran. ...... -
Afghanistan returns this year pass half-million mark
30 Jul 2004 ... UNHCR and its partners have also assisted 443,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) return to their home areas since 2002. There are still more than 180,000 displaced persons in Afghanistan, with ...... -
Afghanistan: preparing for return, dealing with flight
15 Feb 2002 ... As UNHCR staff in Afghanistan gear up for a possible return of Afghan refugees, this spring UNHCR workers in southern Pakistan are trying to cope with a swelling wave of Afghan refugees driven from ...... -
UNHCR's Observations on the EU Draft Afghanistan Return Plan
1 Nov 2002 ... EU Draft Afghanistan Return Plan Voluntary repatriation is generally the solution sought by the largest number of refugees. Afghanistan remains no exception; voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan ...... -
"Return, Afghanistan" photo exhibition opens in Kabul
16 Jul 2004 ... photo exhibition on Afghanistan has come home to Kabul, where it has been hailed as one of the biggest public events since the fall of the Taliban. The exhibition, "Return, Afghanistan", opened at ......