UNHCR sends at least 272 internally displaced persons back home from Kabul

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 24 (ANI): A total of 272 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were sent back to their home provinces from the capital Kabul on Sunday, Xinhua reported citing the Deputy Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs Arsala Kharoti of the Afghan caretaker government.
The IDPs were sent back to their homes in Ghazni, Bamyan, Daikundi and Wardak provinces, with the help provided under a coordinated program by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs.
UNHCR distributed USD 200 to each family for return to their homes.
“We are happy to return to our province as we see good security countrywide,” Siddique, head of a five-member family from central Daikundi province.
Siddique left his hometown a few years ago to avoid conflicts there and had lived in a rental house for one year in Kabul. He said he is going home and will resume working in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Another person, Mohammad Nasim, the breadwinner of a seven-member family, left his hometown two years ago.
“In the past, it was war and insecurity in our province Ghazni. This was why we moved to Kabul, but here, we faced harsh economic problems,” he said.
According to Xinhua, the officials with the ministry for refugees and repatriation affairs said that those returning to their homes would get help from local aid agencies.
Notably, many of the Afghan refugees who flew to neighbouring nations seeking shelters after the Taliban takeover last August encountered atrocities as many do not have legal documents or visas.
“For the past six months, we have been given a token, which is a piece of paper. it has no legal privileges and we have not received any human and humanitarian privileges,” one of the protesting asylum seekers said.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August last year, Afghanistan’s situation has only deteriorated as serious human rights violations continue unabated.
A report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) Michelle Bachelet highlighted the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, particularly since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August last year.
“While the decline in hostilities had seen a decrease in civilian casualties, the human rights situation for many Afghans was of profound concern,” Bachelet said, mentioning that at least 1156 civilians had died and countless were injured post 15th August 2021. The UN High Commissioner also highlighted that the Afghans have been facing devastating humanitarian and economic crises with half the population suffering extreme hunger.
Talking about the rights of women and children, Bachelet informed that the Taliban regime has curtailed women’s rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. She also called for the Taliban regime to fulfil its commitment that the schools would open for all children, whether boys or girls this year.
Earlier, UNHCR has asked the European Union to accept 42,500 Afghans over five years but the request was resisted by the countries. With the reestablishment of the Taliban, a large number of Afghans fled the country and many are now living in poor conditions in the neighbouring countries. (ANI)