Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities and international aid agencies are struggling to cope with the influx of over 200,000 undocumented Afghan refugees forced to leave neighboring Pakistan in recent weeks.
More Afghans are expected to return to their homeland after Islamabad ordered some 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants to leave Pakistan or face arrest and forced expulsion after November 1.
Aid agencies said up to 10,000 Afghans are crossing the border every day from Pakistan. They have warned of chaotic and desperate scenes among returning Afghans.
The Taliban said it has established temporary camps for the returnees near the border, and promised to provide them with food, shelter, and medical assistance.
Why It's Important: There are widespread fears that the influx of Afghans from Pakistan will dramatically worsen the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the world’s largest.
The cash-strapped Taliban government, which is under international sanctions, is unlikely to be able to absorb the returning refugees.
Aid groups in Afghanistan, meanwhile, have been forced to cut back their operations in recent months due to funding shortages.
In a joint statement on November 2, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Danish Refugee Council, and the International Rescue Committee urged international donors “to mobilize additional humanitarian funding” to address the needs of the returnees “and avoid a new crisis.”
The UN estimates that over 29 million Afghans -- out of a population of around 40 million -- already need humanitarian assistance.
The humanitarian situation has been worsened recently by a series of deadly earthquakes in western Afghanistan and Iran’s ongoing mass deportation of undocumented Afghans.
What's Next: Afghans returning from Pakistan, where some have lived for years or even decades, face an uncertain future. Many have no place to go.
“I have four children. I lived in Pakistan for 15 years and my children were born in Pakistan. Now, we only have the clothes on our backs. We have no money. Our situation, like thousands of other families, is really bad,” Abdullah, an Afghan returnee, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.
Some Afghan returnees, including journalists, activists, and members of the former Afghan government and its armed forces, are at risk of Taliban retribution.
“Vulnerable Afghans who have sought safety in the country [Pakistan] could be at imminent risk if forced to return,” said Qaisar Khan Afridi, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Pakistan.
What To Keep An Eye On
The Taliban has arrested Fereydoun Fakuri, a writer and director, in the western city of Herat, his relatives told Radio Azadi on November 3.
His relatives said Fakuri was arrested by armed Taliban fighters outside his office on October 31. The Taliban has not revealed the charges against him.
Sources told Radio Azadi that Fakuri was arrested after criticizing the Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education on social media.
Why It's Important: The Taliban has waged a brutal crackdown against dissent, targeting journalists, human rights defenders, women activists, and intellectuals.
Fakuri, a well-known figure in the local theater and cinema scene in Herat, appears to be the latest victim of the crackdown.
The Taliban on October 27 released education activist Matiullah Wesa after over seven months in custody. Wesa had campaigned for the education of girls and repeatedly called on the Taliban to reverse its restrictions on female education.
That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org.
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
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