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$5m set aside for refugees returning to Afghanistan

$5m set aside for refugees returning to Afghanistan

author avatar
27 Sep 2016 - 19:59
$5m set aside for refugees returning to Afghanistan
author avatar
27 Sep 2016 - 19:59

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Refugees and Reparation on Tuesday said $5 million has been set aside for Afghan refugees returning to the country and another 100 million afs has been suggested for approval.  

Nangarhar governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told Pajhwok Afghan News Refugees Minister Sayed Hussain Alami Balkhi made the remarks during a meeting with Nangarhar Governor Salim Khan Kunduzi in capital Kabul.

Minister Balkhi said it was estimated that till the end of the current year at least 500,000 refugee families would return the home country.

According to him, $5 million has been allocated for helping the repatriated families and each unregistered refugee family in Pakistan would be given $50 in aid on arrival from Pakistan.

He said the aid would be distributed to 400,000 repatriates and the remaining 100, 000 returnees would be helped by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Balkhi said for resolving refugees’ issues he had suggested the approval of another 100 million afs to the Cabinet and welfare organizations and hoped it would be approved.

In order to provide shelter to the repatriates, lands have been identified in Kot and Behsud districts and soon basic work on refugees’ townships would be launched.

He said a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with the Ministry of Education to enroll them in schools.  

Governor Kunduzi said at least 700 families repatriated to Afghanistan on a daily basis through the Torkham border-crossing.

According to Kunduzi, the repatriating families’ key issues were shelter, children enrolment in schools and lack of an organized help to unregistered families.

The returning students weren’t given certificates of their studies in Pakistan, Kunduzi said, adding they had paved an unofficial way for their three months continued studies, but the issue should be basically resolved by the central government. Kunduzi said registered families were fully assisted but unregistered families were given little aid.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)’s head two days back visited Nangarhar and met with the refugees’ affairs head, announcing a $1milllion in aid to returning refugees.

The returning families have been settled in Nangarhar’s districts, but they face severe issues and have asked the government for immediate aid.

sns/ma

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