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: 50,000th returnee
19 Mar 2002 ... began March 1. The 50,000th returnee arrived in Mohmandar, eastern Afghanistan, on Monday via the famed Khyber ... Afghans repatriated yearly from Pakistan to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. ...... -
Iran: Afghans request return
11 Apr 2000 ... to go back to Afghanistan under a repatriation programme agreed in February between UNHCR and Iran. ... by a large number of Afghans over the last several days, requesting for help for their return. ...... -
High Commissioner's mission to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran
25 Feb 2003 ... High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers left this morning on a 10-day mission to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. ... He said Afghanistan must remain a priority and that ensuring sustainable returns of refugees ...... -
Afghanistan: first returns from Kyrgyzstan
4 Jun 2002 ... home since the UNHCR/Afghanistan Interim Authority ... The newest asylum country to see its Afghans start to leave is ... that forced us to suspend returns via the Miljak crossing point ...... -
Afghanistan: weekly returns over 100,000 again
7 Jun 2002 ... For the third week in a row, we've seen 100,000 Afghans return home under the joint UNHCR-Afghanistan Interim ... 400,000, we have now tripled our estimate for Pakistan to 1.2 million this year. ...... -
Kabul conference pledges support for sustainable return
19 Nov 2008 ... agency today pledged to strengthen efforts for returnees and displaced people within the Afghanistan National Development Strategy. "The story of Afghanistan's return process marks one of the ...... -
Afghanistan, RLN December 2004
1 Dec 2004 ... An IOM analysis - Reversing the brain drain - Taking refugees for a ride? The politics of refugee return to Afghanistan - UNHCR Returnee Monitoring Report - Land issues within the repatriation ...... -
UNHCR raises repatriation forecast as Afghan returns surge
10 May 2004 ... ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 10 (UNHCR) - A surge in the return of Afghans to their homeland so far this year ... the refugee agency is now girding itself to aid some 500,000 to go back to Afghanistan. ...... -
UNHCR ups estimate for 2002 Afghan returns
7 Jun 2002 ... the third straight week, pushing total returns since March to more than 915,000, the U.N. refugee agency ... "Despite the precarious conditions inside Afghanistan, the repatriation is already the ......