Afghan refugees residing within the east African island nation say they lack primary help and wish to be relocated to the US.
A bunch of refugees from Afghanistan has gathered in entrance of the US embassy in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, calling for his or her circumstances to be expedited after years of ready.
At the very least a dozen Afghans together with each adults and kids gathered on Monday outdoors the embassy premises, saying that they had utilized for the US Refugee Admissions Program in 2019, however have been but to obtain any updates till two months in the past, once they had interviews with a US Citizenship and Immigration Providers (USCIS) agent.
Since then, their look forward to solutions has continued, they mentioned.
“They mentioned after one month they provide us the consequence, after now they haven’t given the consequence,” claimed one refugee, Ahmadullah, who just like the others gathered requested to solely use his first title for worry of retribution towards his household in Afghanistan.
“We've got no phrase,” he advised Al Jazeera. “We've got nothing.”
Bahar, a spokesman for the group, advised Al Jazeera by video chat from the protest “They make us a hostage since 2019 … Now we're sitting right here on this rain. We is not going to depart till we get this reply.”
These gathered mentioned that they had labored in help of both NATO forces or US and overseas firms and non-profits in Afghanistan, and because of this, confronted Taliban retribution in the event that they returned to their dwelling nation.
Bahar, a former IT supervisor on the Afghan central financial institution, advised Al Jazeera that he had beforehand labored with the US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID) and his household had supplied land and help to US-based NGO Morning Star of their dwelling village of Jegdalek. He fled to Madagascar in 2018 after his mom was killed in a Taliban assault.
One other girl who sat in entrance of the embassy, Bibi Maria, mentioned she fled Afghanistan that very same 12 months along with her 4 youngsters after the Taliban killed her husband, who she mentioned was a provider for US and NATO troops.
A few of these gathered carried indicators with Afghan flags that mentioned “please merci [sic] on us” and “we wish outcomes”.
With few choices for journey obtainable, the fleeing Afghans mentioned that they had chosen Madagascar as a result of they might get a visa on arrival.
As of April, there have been 20 United Nations-registered Afghan refugees within the nation, based on the UN Excessive Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Whereas the refugees obtain some primary help by an area UNHCR-affiliated organisation, they're unable to work, they usually say their youngsters are unable to go to high school and that entry to healthcare stays severely restricted.
The UN has mentioned that whereas Madagascar affords refugees and asylum seekers safety from expulsion or compelled return to their dwelling nations, it has no legislation to supply them with social help, work authorisation, or healthcare.
In the meantime, the island nation’s economic system has struggled amid the coronavirus pandemic. About 77 p.c of the inhabitants lives in poverty, which is compounded by common pure disasters.
“We don’t have something now,” Bibi Maria mentioned by a translator. “No cash. My youngsters are sick. The place will we go?”
Relocation backlogs
The protest comes because the US has confronted a tidal wave of Afghan refugees looking for entry into the nation because the Taliban took management of Afghanistan in August 2021 amid the withdrawal of the US and different NATO forces stationed there.
However there are backlogs of candidates in programmes to relocate Afghan refugees to the US, partly due to the pandemic and in addition resulting from Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their nation.
One programme affords particular immigrant visas (SIVs) to Afghans who labored straight for the US authorities or for firms that contracted with the US authorities, however is infamous for having a troublesome bar of entry.
Shortly earlier than the autumn of Afghanistan, the US Division of State additionally introduced the Precedence 2 (P-2) designation, an extension to the US Refugee Admissions Program. It offers precedence to Afghans who don't meet the extra stringent SIV standards, however who labored in help of US and NATO forces, for US media organisations or NGOs, or on US-funded tasks.
Afghans residing overseas also can apply for humanitarian parole, which grants emergency entry to the US. That was what was granted to the 76,000 Afghan residents evacuated to the US amid the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Nonetheless, CBS Information reported in June that over 90 p.c of absolutely adjudicated purposes for that standing from Afghans outdoors of the US have been rejected since July 2021.
The US Embassy in Madagascar & Comoros didn't instantly reply to a request for remark from Al Jazeera relating to the refugees’ scenario.
Bahar mentioned the choice to protest on Monday was spontaneous.
“We simply determined, we are going to sit right here for days, we aren't going anyplace,” he mentioned. “We don’t have cash to pay for our hire. Many people don't have any cash for meals, so the place will we go? Why do they not give us a consequence?”
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