Camp for Afghan refugees to be built in southern Tajikistan

SHOKHIN (Agencies): With the help of the European Union, the Tajik side will build a camp for Afghan refugees in the Khirmanjo area of the Shamsiddin Shokhin region (formerly Shuroabad), which borders on Afghan territory, radio Ozodi writes.

A radio source in the Shokhin district administration said that, in addition to Khirmanjo, two more locations were selected for the camp in the area.

“The ambassador of the European Union must visit these places, where it is planned to build a camp for refugees. After that, the place for the construction of the camp will be precisely determined. Now two or three places have been designated for showing,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

The chairman of the Khatlon region has already announced at his summer press conference that with the help of international organizations, a camp for Afghan refugees will be built in the Jaihun region (formerly Qumsangir region).

Earlier, the European Union has already announced that it will allocate 160 thousand euros to help Afghan refugees who are in Tajikistan. The EU said in a September 14 statement that up to 5,000 Afghan citizens have taken refuge in the Khatlon region and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, which border Afghanistan.

The EU’s announcement of humanitarian aid to refugees in Tajikistan came against the backdrop of a statement by Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda, who, at a meeting with Mulugeta Zevdi, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tajikistan, said that over the past 20 years, Tajikistan has not received significant international aid to help refugees from a neighboring country.

Hundreds and thousands of Afghan refugees fled to neighboring countries, including Tajikistan, after the Taliban attacked northern Afghanistan. Some of them, especially servicemen, were returned back to Afghanistan, some are kept in GBAO and other regions of Tajikistan.

The European Union, citing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), indicates that “by the end of 2021, up to 50,000 refugees may be registered in Tajikistan.” The length of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan is 1400 kilometers.