The Argentine government does not rule out giving refuge to Afghan citizens

The crisis triggered in Afghanistan by the withdrawal of American troops and the rise of Taliban militias has generated pressure from international organizations that the international community welcomes to the people displaced by this new war and this humanitarian conflict. Thursday’s bloody bombing at Kabul airport amplified the drama.

Sources consulted within the Argentine government trusted Bugle which do not exclude welcoming Afghan citizens although they have stressed that there is no date to channel it. They underlined that these are extremely sensitive subjects which are being discussed and that it is still premature to register for this race.

To begin with, said high sources consulted under strict conditions unofficially, a refugee aid plan for Afghan citizens must be done through the Argentine Embassy in Pakistan, headed today by diplomat Leopoldo Sahores, who is in charge of affairs in Afghanistan, where there is no national representation.

However, between the Ministries of the Interior and of External Relations, they are awaiting the press and complaints from international organizations. But they give an example of what happened with the so-called Syria program, which is still ongoing with UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency), but it doesn’t work.

The Syria program was created under the government of Mauricio Macri to give refuge to those displaced by the civil war in the Arab country.

But the Syrians have shown no interest in coming to Argentina and in Uruguay, there have been a series of coexistence conflicts with families of Syrian refugees which have shown how difficult it is to embark on a plan to give refuge to citizens in humanitarian crises and cultures so different.

Security

Another aspect that weighs is security management. At the height of the war in Syria, a network was detected that gave false passports to Syrian citizens, of which Argentina was not exempt. Most of the displaced are undocumented, at least with passports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Migration still have to resolve the case of ten Syrian families who, months ago, offered to come. Seven of them are waiting in Lebanon and three in Egypt. But their refuge here is extremely slow.

Amnesty International Argentina Deputy Director Paola García Rey said last Friday that “If Argentina were consistent with its human rights policy I understand that it should open its doors to Afghan refugees “.

He said that “a job had to be done for these families to be able to fit into society and that depends on a present state. We have to live up to it.”

The government of Alberto Fernández ruled on the crisis in Afghanistan through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whichwhich launched several calls for the peaceful settlement of the conflict, not to mention the Taliban.

Human rights

In turn, the government backed a UN Human Rights Council resolution that required to guarantee human rights in Afghanistan, especially women and minors, the most vulnerable today.

But neither the Minister of the Interior, Wado de Pedro, nor the Director of Migration, Florencia Carignano, nor the Minister of Foreign Affairs Felipe Solá have made a public statement on whether or not to give refuge to the Afghans.

Mexican government a few days ago, he received a group of 124 people, made up of journalists working in afghanistan and their families. Ecuador said it plans to host around 5,000 Afghans with US financial assistance.

Meanwhile, the United States succeeded in withdrawing from Kabul to 82,300 people in the last days. And in Europe, there was little will to welcome displaced people. But the reception of Afghans is slow and the paradox is that they encounter greater resistance in Islamic countries.

Especially in Turkey. On the 19th, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan estimated the total number of Afghans who “were returned” at 235,000, without specifying the period during which these repatriations took place.

PB