Page 2 - Refugees

Displaced, crossing borders: Afghan people make tough journeys to survive

The barren desert plain among the mountains of eastern Afghanistan is filled with hundreds of thousands of people. Some live in tents. Others live out in the open, among the piles of the few belongings they managed to take as they were forced from neighbouring Pakistan. The sprawling camp of people returning to Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing is the latest facet of Afghans' long, painful search for a stable home. More than 40 years of war, violence and poverty in Afghanistan have created one of the world's most uprooted populations. Some 6 million Afghans are refugees outside the country. Another 3.5 million people are displaced within the country of 40 million, driven from their homes by war, earthquakes, drought or resources that are being depleted. Over the course of months, an Associated Press photographer travelled across Afghanistan from its eastern border with Pakistan to its western border with Iran, getting to know displaced people and returned refuges and

UN agency warns of Afghans dying in winter if they don't get proper shelter

The UN refugee agency has warned that Afghans could die in harsh winter conditions if they don't get adequate shelter once they cross the border from Pakistan. Almost half a million Afghans have left Pakistan since early October, when the Islamabad government announced it would arrest and deport foreigners it said were in the country illegally. The overwhelming majority of them are from neighboring Afghanistan, though Islamabad insists the policy doesn't target a specific nationality. The forced returns are piling pressure on Afghanistan and aid agencies, which are providing the bulk of essential services like health care. Freezing temperatures are setting in and conditions at the border remain dire. Many Afghan returnees are vulnerable, including women and children, who could lose their lives in a harsh winter if left without adequate shelter, the U.N. refugee agency said in a report published Friday. People arriving at the border are exhausted and require urgent assistance as well

Canada stricts measures for int'l students, financial requirements raised

The changes, set to take effect from January 1, 2024, include a substantial increase in the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants

Pakistan carried out 'widespread abuses' against Afghan refugees: Report

"Pakistani officials have created a coercive environment for Afghans to force them to return to life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch

Centre closely monitors Mizoram as Myanmar violence triggers refugee influx

Myanmar's military junta is facing its biggest test since taking power in a 2021 coup after three ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive in late October.

Nearly 400,000 refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pak in past two months

The Afghan nationals, who are currently detained in Pakistan, raised concerns about their situation. Afghan nationals said that they are facing severe challenges, TOLO News reported

Over 8,000 Afghan refugees forced to return from Pak as deadline nears

The Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan on Saturday announced that approximately 7,910 Afghan migrants have returned to their country from Pakistan

Over 130,000 Afghan refugees will require re-settlement in Pakistan: UNHCR

In the 'Projected Global Resettlement Needs Assessment for 2024', UNHCR anticipates a 20 per cent increase in global refugee resettlement needs for the next year

We hosts one of world's largest refugee populations: Pakistan President

Pakistani President Arif Alvi said his country continues to host one of the largest refugee populations in the world

Manipur violence: Over 50,650 displaced people living in 350 relief camps

Over 50,650 men, women and children, displaced in Manipur's ethnic violence were sheltered in 350 camps, Information and Public Relations and Health Minister S. Ranjan said here on Sunday

Biden administration lets Ukrainians who fled Russia's war stay in US

The Biden administration is allowing thousands of Ukrainians who fled their homeland when Russia invaded a year ago to stay in the United States longer, the administration said Monday. The decision provides relief to Ukrainians whose one-year authorisation to remain in the US was set to expire soon. The Homeland Security Department said the extension is for certain Ukrainian nationals and their immediate family members who were let into the U.S. before the Uniting for Ukraine programme started. Ukrainians who came in under the Uniting for Ukraine programme generally got two years of humanitarian parole in the U.S. whereas those who arrived before them generally got permission to stay only for one year. Thousands of Ukrainians came to America last year fleeing the war. The US government used a programme called humanitarian parole to admit them into the country. Humanitarian parole is a way to allow people from other countries to enter the United States on an emergency basis due to a

Over 31,500 Myanmar, Bangladesh refugees took shelter in Mizoram: Official

Over 31,500 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh have taken shelter in different parts of Mizoram, an official said. The number of Myanmar nationals taking refuge in the northeastern state was 31,050 as on January 27, and those from Bangladesh were 541, he said. The Bangladeshi nationals are lodged in 160 makeshift camps set up in eight villages in Lawngtlai district, the official said. The Myanmar nationals, mostly from Chin state, fled to Mizoram following a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021, while the asylum seekers from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) came to the state after a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group, he said. Mizoram shares a 510-km long porous border with Myanmar and a 318-km boundary with Bangladesh. Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana had recently informed the assembly that the state government has so far released over Rs 3.8 crore as part of relief measures for the Myanmar nationals, and Rs 30 lakh for those

Turkey not to accept more refugees from Syria after earthquakes: FM

Turkey has offered to the United Nations to open two more border gates into Syria through Turkey's southern province of Kilis, but the gates would serve one way into Syria for humanitarian aid

Devastating earthquakes in Turkey is only the latest tragedy for refugees

When war broke out in Ukraine, Aydin Sisman's relatives there fled to the ancient city of Antakya, in a southeastern corner of Turkiye that borders Syria. They may have escaped one disaster, but another found them in their new home. They were staying with Sisman's Ukrainian mother-in-law when their building collapsed last Monday as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake levelled much of Antakya and ravaged the region in what some in Turkiye are calling the disaster of the century. We have Ukrainian guests who fled the war, and they are also lying inside. We have had no contact, said Sisman, whose Turkish father-in-law also was trapped under the rubble of the 10-year-old apartment building. As rescuers dig through heaps of rubble, Sisman appeared to have lost hope. Millions of refugees, like Sisman's relatives, have found a haven in Turkiye, escaping from wars and local conflicts from countries as close as Syria to as far afield as Afghanistan. There are at least 3.6 million Syrians who have

Swedish govt announces campaign to discourage refugees entering country

'The main objective of the campaign is to inform about the Swedish migration policy so that fewer people will come here'

US provided nearly $60 mn to Pakistan for humanitarian assistance in 2022

The United States provided about USD 60 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Pakistani host communities during 2022, the US ambassador said on Thursday. "In Fiscal Year 2022 alone, the US provided nearly USD 60 million (more than PakRs 13 billion) in assistance to the refugees and their host communities, the US embassy here said in a statement, quoting ambassador Donald Blome. He also said that the United States has provided more than USD 273 million (nearly PakRs 62 billion) since 2002 for the Afghan refugees and thanked Pakistan for "generously hosting Afghan refugees for more than four decades." This US assistance is increasing school enrolment for Afghan and Pakistani children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan; improving Pakistani healthcare services and boosting nutrition programs in areas hosting Afghans; promoting livelihood activities for refugees and host communities; improving water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure; and supporti

Cash-strapped Mizoram gets Bangla refugee influx; border talks with Assam

Already overburdened with Kuki-Chin refugees from strife-torn Myanmar, Mizoram, which is reeling under a financial crisis, received a fresh stream of displaced people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh this year. More than 300 Kuki-Chin refugees from CHT took shelter in the northeastern state following armed clashes between Bangladesh Army and insurgents belonging to the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA). The state now hosts a total of 40,000 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Mizos share ethnic ties with the Kuki-Chin people. The Zoramthanga administration is reeling under a severe financial crunch due to the COVID-19 pandemic and delay by the Centre in releasing the state's share of taxes and grants. The crisis has resulted in delays in timely payment of salaries to government employees, and pensions to retirees, besides clearance of bills. However, the state government hopes that the crisis will be resolved in 2023 with the release of more funds from the ...

United Nations urges rescue of 190 refugees adrift in Andaman Sea

Reports indicate that they have been at sea in dire conditions for a month, lacking sufficient food or water, and with no efforts from any States in the region to help

Angelina Jolie leaves role as UN refugee agency envoy

Angelina Jolie and the United Nations' refugee agency are parting ways after more than two decades. In a joint statement issued on Friday, the actress and the agency announced she was moving on from her role as the agency's special envoy to engage on a broader set of humanitarian and human rights issues. I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people, Jolie was quoted as saying in the joint statement, adding that she felt it was time to work differently by directly engaging with refugees and local organisations. Jolie first started working with the UN refugee agency in 2001 and was appointed its special envoy in 2012. The release described her as carrying out more than 60 field missions to bear witness to stories of suffering as well as hope and resilience, most recently travelling to Burkina Faso. After a long and successful time with UNHCR, I appreciate her desire to shift her engagement and support her decision,

Harsh winter awaits displaced families in Ukraine, Afghanistan: UNHCR

Many displaced families will have no option but to choose between food and warmth as they struggle to heat their shelters, source warm clothing, and cook hot meals, according to UNHCR.