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 9 of 67 pages.
-
Refugees Magazine Issue 108 (Afghanistan : the unending crisis) - The dilemma of the internally displaced
1 Jun 1997 ... This IDP population poses a tricky dilemma for UNHCR. By Steven Wolfson In Afghanistan virtually everyone is a victim. Millions of people fled to neighbouring countries in the wake of the Soviet ...... -
Refugees Magazine Issue 98 (After the Soviet Union) - Chilly reception for refugees in Russia
1 Dec 1994 ... But now more than a million refugees and migrants have flooded into Russia from the republics of the former Soviet Union. Tens of thousands more have come from places as far-flung as Afghanistan, Sri ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 1999 - Islamic Republic of Iran
1 Jun 2000 ... ... Most Afghans arrived either dur- ing the Soviet military interventions in Afghanistan in the 1980s, or after the withdrawal of Soviet troops up to the end of the Najibullah regime in 1992. ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 1999 - Afghanistan
1 Jun 2000 ... ... UNHCR GLOBAL REPORT 1999 WORKING ENVIRONMENT The Context War has been raging in Afghanistan for more than twenty years. The Soviet occupation pushed more than six million Afghans into exile. The ...... -
The State of The World's Refugees 1995: In Search of Solutions - Chapter 4: Promoting Development
1 Jan 1995 ... ... only distantly related) to economic factors: the communist victory in Viet Nam; the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan; the struggle for independence in Africa's last colonies; the destabilization of ...... -
Remarks by Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at the 9th Extraordinary Meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Doha, Qatar, 10 October 2001
10 Oct 2001 ... ... During the battle against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, Afghan refugees were considered as brothers and sisters by people in Iran and Pakistan. Then in the 1990s, civil war in ...... -
UNHCR helps Afghan villagers to improve irrigation system
9 Jul 2008 ... With its moderate climate, proximity to major rivers and elaborate irrigation system, Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan had always been known for its agriculture. However, the Soviet invasion ...... -
Feature: Afghan carpet industry returns home from Pakistan, now benefits both countries
7 Sep 2004 ... ... Abdullah, the 26-year-old manager, is very much a product of the years of turmoil triggered by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. "I was a child when we went to Pakistan, during the Russian ...... -
Author Khaled Hosseini says peace vital for sustainable return of Afghan refugees
15 Sep 2009 ... ... Hosseini left Afghanistan in 1976, when his diplomat father was posted to France. After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, his family was resettled in the United States. Since becoming a ......