'Homelessness' threatens thousands of Afghans

Due to the displacement of Afghans back to the country by the Taliban, up to 500,000 families in Afghanistan are on the verge of homelessness, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) stated.

"Nearly 4,000 individuals have been evicted from their improvised homes just in and around Kabul," said Neil Turner, Country Director for NRC in Afghanistan in a statement, adding if a similar approach continued, tens of thousands of people will be on the move once again, and humanitarian organizations will not be able to respond to another massive wave of displaced people, Khaama Press reported.

The Afghans have been displaced from the Afghan soil due to decades of war, political instability and subsequent economic meltdown that gripped the country since the Taliban took control in August last year.

As a result, several of them settled in enclaves outside of bigger towns that over time developed into informal settlements, reported Khaama Press.

NRC, in a statement also called out the Taliban to focus on long-term solutions for displaced Afghans and urged for the settlement closures in Afghanistan to come to an end.

Moreover, people are alleged to have been driven from the outskirts of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, and provinces, such as Daikundi by the Taliban, Khaama Press stated, citing sources.

As per the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), up to 500,000 families in Afghanistan may soon become homeless as a result of mounting pressure from the government to send internally displaced people back to their regions of origin.

The Norwegian Refugee Council's country director stated that "Unless good alternatives are secured; the closure of informal settlements puts people who are already struggling to survive at greater risk," said the NRC's country director in a statement.

Since the Taliban took over in mid-August last year, Afghanistan has not only seen a mass exodus but also the illegal crossings of Afghans into neighbouring countries like Iran via Nimroz province and Turkey.

More than 653,000 Afghan refugees have returned or been deported to Afghanistan mainly from neighbouring countries since August 2021, according to official figures from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

Although the fighting in the country has ended, Afghanistan's situation has been deteriorating as serious human rights violations continue unabated.

Earlier, UNHCR asked the European Union to accept 42,500 Afghans over five years but the request was resisted by the countries.