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Afghans remain "trapped" in Albania three years after the return of the Taliban

2024-08-18 12:31:55Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Afghans remain "trapped" in Albania three years after the return of
Afghans evacuated from Kabul to Tirana in August 2021.

Fatima and her young son fled their home shortly after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

As a former MP, she was at risk from a possible retaliation by the hard-line Islamist group.

But three years after the Taliban came to power, Fatima lives with her 7-year-old son in Albania, waiting to move to the United States.

"The uncertainty is excruciating," said the single mother, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. "Our future is suspended."

Fatima was among hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Afghans who fled their homeland after the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's retake of power.

The United States and its allies airlifted tens of thousands of Afghans out of the country during the chaotic and deadly evacuation from Kabul.

Fatima was among those who fled en route to neighboring Pakistan. From there, several thousand Afghans moved temporarily to Albania while they waited for their US visas to be processed.

But three years after the Taliban seized power, dozens of Afghans remain trapped in the small Balkan country.

"It's painful not knowing what's wrong with my case," said Fatima, who lives in an apartment in the capital, Tirana.

"Why is it being delayed?", she emphasized.

According to the US State Department, more than 160,000 Afghans have resettled in the United States under the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program as of September 2021.

SIV visas are intended for Afghans who have served the US Government or US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan for at least one year.

US allies in the West have also hosted tens of thousands of Afghans.

Afghans who do not qualify for SIV can apply for the US Refugee Readmission Program (USRAP), which gives special priority status to Afghans who have worked on US Government-funded projects in Afghanistan, US Government interpreters and aid workers for employees of US-based media and organizations.

The application process for SIV visas and resettlement through the USRAP program can take years, and advocacy groups have said the programs are moving too slowly.

This means that thousands of Afghans hoping to settle in the United States have been left in widespread limbo in third countries, including Albania, Kosovo, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

'The anxiety is growing...'
Fatima admits that she is lucky to be alive. But, she also revealed that this uncertainty has taken a toll on her.

"I've never even taken headache tablets before," she said. "But now I take medicine three times a day."

The former MP is not allowed to work. She succeeds with the help of a non-governmental organization based in Washington. Her son attends a local school, although the language barrier has deprived him of a meaningful education, she said.

Fatima is not the only one.

Ahad, a former Afghan military officer, is among about 40 Afghans who remain in Albania.

In 2021, Albania welcomed thousands of Afghans to stay until their resettlement cases were reviewed.

Ahad, who asked that his real name not be used for security reasons, lives with his four children and his wife in a resort town along the Adriatic coast.

Each family member receives a monthly payment of $50 from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. But Ahad said the money is barely enough to pay the rent for their small apartment.

"The mounting financial problems are adding to our anxiety," he said.

Unable to work, Ahad emphasized that he has accumulated debts to local vendors, from whom he has received food and other basic items.

'Why did they leave us here?'
The US Department of State says that the cases of Afghans in Albania are being reviewed within the US refugee program.

"We are focused on increasing capacity, speeding up processing and resolving long-delayed applications," a US State Department spokesperson told Radio Free Europe in a written response, adding that, "...continues maintain the program's rigorous standard of review and verification."

The spokesperson said DASH "is issuing SIV visas to Afghan partners at record rates".

In the last US fiscal year that ended in September 2023, DASH issued more than 18,000 SIV visas to Afghans, the most in a single year, the spokesman said.

"In this fiscal year [2024], we have already exceeded this figure," he added./REL


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