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 2 of 67 pages.
-
Q&A: In refugee situation spanning decades, one ministry leads response
26 May 2011 ... of the largest and longest-running refugee situations in the world. Beginning with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, successive waves of Afghans have sought refuge in neighbouring Pakistan. ...... -
Returning Afghan refugees rebuild despite challenges
26 Nov 2018 ... In 47 years, Qayyum Khan* has been displaced three times across two neighbouring countries. He was only a teenager when his family left for Pakistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. They ...... -
UNHCR Fonds 11 Series 2: File List - Refugee Situations (100.GEN.AFG-121.SEA)
26 Nov 2009 ... in Pakistan] 1979/1981 11.02.BOX.0037 100.AFG.SUN Refugees from Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Afghanistan [100.AFG.USSR] 1979/1980 11.02.BOX.0037 100.AFG.TKM Turkmenian Refugees in ...... -
UNHCR struggles to find solutions for Afghan asylum seekers in Russia
17 Apr 2007 ... The flow of asylum seekers from Afghanistan has many causes. Some - such as those associated with the pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan in the 1980s - came to escape a hostile new government. With the ...... -
Pakistan: Afghan camp closes
21 May 2002 ... Set up as a tented camp in 1980 as the first wave of Afghan refugees fled the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Nasir Bagh grew into what was in effect a full-blown suburb of the Pakistani border city ...... -
Pakistan: Afghan registration nears half million mark
28 Nov 2006 ... to provide official documentation to Afghans who arrived in Pakistan after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979. Since the exercise started on October 15, Pakistan's National ...... -
Famous Pakistan camp closes as last convoy heads home
21 May 2002 ... Nasir Bagh was set up as a tented camp in 1980 as the first wave of Afghan refugees fled the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. It soon grew into what was in effect a full-blown suburb of the Pakistani ...... -
Q&A: Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, keen to help refugees
16 Feb 2007 ... My family left Kabul in 1976 because my father was a diplomat and he was assigned a post in the Afghan Embassy in Paris. While we were in Paris, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan [in December 1979] so ...... -
Afghanistan: Housing programme progressing well
7 Nov 2003 ... our 2003 housing initiative, putting more than 93,000 returned refugees back in their own homes for the first time since they fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and the subsequent civil war. ......