The US government is reportedly in talks to resettle Afghan citizens who assisted American forces during military operations in Afghanistan from a camp in Qatar to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This information was disclosed on Tuesday by AfghanEvac, a group advocating for former allies. These Afghans were evacuated to Qatar after the US-led international withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Approximately 1,100 Afghans, including around 400 children, are currently housed at the As Sayliyah camp in Qatar. According to the New York Times, the group comprises interpreters who worked for the US military, Afghan commandos, and family members of US soldiers. Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, expressed suspicion that Washington aims to send the former military allies back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
AfghanEvac characterized the plan to send them to Congo as an attempt to “manufacture a refusal.” In a statement, the group said: “Offer these families relocation to an active war zone in the DRC, knowing they cannot accept, wait for the predictable no, then use that no as the public justification for sending them back to Afghanistan.” Congo hosts some 6.9 million internally displaced persons, per UN figures, particularly in the east where fierce fighting persists between the army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
The US State Department declined to confirm Congo as a potential destination but stated that the United States is exploring “voluntary resettlement” from the Qatar camp. A spokesperson claimed: “Moving the camp population to a third country is a positive resolution that provides safety for these remaining people to start a new life outside of Afghanistan while upholding the safety and security of the American people.” Since August 2021, over 190,000 Afghans have been resettled in the United States.
US President Donald Trump, upon taking office in January 2025, has vowed to curb migration and ordered a halt to processing refugee status for individuals from Afghanistan after an Afghan man shot two National Guard troops near the White House in November, killing one. The man had collaborated with US intelligence and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Trump has set a March 31 deadline to close the camp in Qatar.
Source: www.dw.com