Thousands of Afghan refugees are stranded at Greece-Macedonia border while thousands more are awaiting forced deportation to Turkey after a recently-agreed deal between the EU and the Turkish government came into force. The EU and Turkey rushed to signing the deal after Austria and other Balkan countries imposed restrictions on their borders and later halted entry of refugees crossing to reach the western European countries. While many are still believed to be on the way to Europe coasts, European countries including Germany, which hosts most of Afghans who have come to Europe in last two years, are signaling tougher stances for sending back thousands of refugees back to their countries of origin. Despite the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Afghans are one of the main groups of newly-arrived migrants who are under pressures to return back, and the European governments say a large portion of Afghan refugees have no chances of staying in Europe.
This is while internal factors for flow of people particularly young Afghans out of the country remain in place. Perhaps the biggest for all those leaving the country is the uncertainty hovering over the future of the country with the war and violence raging and the economy in decline. Amidst the unfolding global migrant crisis and the continued flow of Afghans out of the country, the Afghan government seems to be starting considering some concrete plans for stemming the flow and dealing with return of thousands of Afghan refugees that would be deported from European countries. Officials at the Ministry of Information and Culture say the ministry plans to work with other government ministries to help the returnees and provide them employment, education and health opportunities to reintegrate in the country. The move by the government to consider plans for assisting the returnees to reintegrate to the society and start a life anew in Afghanistan is promising for easing the Afghan immigration crisis.  However, it will need much more and broader measures. The Afghan government will need to devise a long-term and broad national plan involving not only government agencies but also public entities and the private sector. The crisis of refugees will linger for many years and maybe for many decades. The ongoing refugee crisis is only a tip of the iceberg in a difficult juncture of Afghanistan’s history, and is not going to be resolved through short-term programs.  The current trend of immigration is not simply flow people out of the country. It is going to become further complicated that would have many socio-economic aspects.  The immigration crisis would in the upcoming years – and maybe decades – involve return of refugees and its inevitable challenges, the illegal human smuggling, outflow of workforce and brain drains, functionality and capability of government’s diplomacy, and suffering of Afghans on the ways reaching neighboring countries as well as other affluent countries of the world. Afghan officials predict an inflow of the Afghan refugees who escaped to Europe in recent years. Speaking at a meeting of the Upper House of the parliament, the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation predicted that about 40 percent of Afghan refugees – who are about 100,000 in number – who have reached Europe as part of the recent influx would not receive asylum and the European countries would send thousands of Afghanback.
The possible return refugees from the neighboring and Western countries would have immense consequences back at home. The Afghan government, on one hand, needs to be prepared for a long-term approach to the repatriation of Afghan refugees, and on the other hand, will need to create ‘keep factors’ to persuade Afghans to stay and not to leave the country in search of unforeseen luck. Despite that the recent initiative announced by the ministry of Information and Culture is a good start for dealing with the immigration challenge; however, it is far from being proportionate to the challenge.  The returnees would feel desperate and helpless and need special care. The government needs to feel the pains and suffering of the refugees on their way to other countries and those who are denied asylum and sent back to Afghanistan. The authorities angered many in the Afghan refugee community in European countries after suggesting that Afghanistan was able to accept repatriated Afghan refugees. However, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation maintained the stance that it is seeking agreements that include only voluntarily return of refugees. On Sunday, SayedHossainAlemiBalkhi also stressed that the Afghan government has opposed forced deportation of Afghan refugees and is negotiating with the Europeans countries to arrange voluntarily return of Afghan refugees whose asylum request are denied. The government needs to remain careful of any plan that involve forced deportation of Afghan refugees return.
The government needs to take immediate actions to help those stranded in Turkey, Greece and Balkan countries. It is a matter of functionality and capability of Afghan ministries of refugees and foreign affairs to take initiatives to help those refugees stuck in dire situations in Greek islands or elsewhere in Indonesia, Turkey and the neighboring countries. In the Thursday’s parliamentary session, the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs demanded a private behind-doors meeting with MPs to explain the situation involved the Afghan refugees in Greece and the measures of the government. The authorities perhaps fear public backlash over what is going on between the Afghan government and the EU states. However, the public have the right to know over the developments and the measures of the government.
There is immediate need for stemming the flow of people out of the country by all possible means. In the session with the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, many MPs were angry over open activity of the smugglers who encourage people to leave the country for Europe. There is a decisive plan needed for tackling the lucrative people-smuggling business. Though the problem of people leaving for Europe may start easing with the recent EU-Turkey deal, the government needs to be prepared for dealing with a long-term and protracted immigration problem in Afghanistan.