Congo-Kinshasa: U.S. In Talks to Send Afghan Refugees to DR Congo

Lead

The US government is in talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo to resettle a group of over 1,000 Afghan evacuees currently housed at a US base in Qatar, according to multiple reports. The discussions, first reported by the New York Times, have come under fire from advocacy groups who say the plan would send Afghan allies to a country with its own severe displacement crisis.

The group in question consists of roughly 1,100 Afghans, including interpreters, former Afghan military commandos, and family members of US military personnel, who were evacuated to Qatar's Camp As Sayliyah after the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Reports note that the group includes over 400 children.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage of the plan, which has been consistent across multiple outlets, is based on reporting by the New York Times and statements from the non-profit advocacy group AfghanEvac. Reports from Reuters, Africa News, Dawn, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, and others all confirm that AfghanEvac has publicly challenged the plan's premise, arguing it is a strategy to force the evacuees to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The State Department has declined to confirm that the DRC is being considered as a destination but has acknowledged the US is exploring resettlement options for those at the camp in Qatar.

Key Claims

• Relocation Talks: The US government is in discussions to resettle up to 1,100 Afghan evacuees in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a plan first reported by the New York Times and confirmed by the advocacy group AfghanEvac.
• Group Demographics: The evacuees include interpreters, former Afghan Special Operations members, relatives of American citizens and US soldiers, and more than 400 children.
• Stranded in Qatar: The group has been residing at Camp As Sayliyah, a former US Army base in Qatar, for over a year after being evacuated following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in 2021.
• AfghanEvac Criticism: Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, called the plan "unacceptable," stating that it essentially offers evacuees a choice between resettling in a country with an "active war zone" or facing potential death in Afghanistan.
• Zimbabwean Journalist's Take: The plan has been likened to offering a choice between the "world's number one refugee crisis" and the "world's number two refugee crisis," highlighting the precarious situation in the DRC.
• Eligibility for US Entry: Advocates note that around 900 of the 1,100 Afghans are already eligible to enter the US, and they are calling for the US to fulfill its commitments to them.

Perspectives

AfghanEvac has stated its belief that the administration is attempting to "manufacture a refusal" by presenting the resettlement to the DRC as the only alternative to being left in a perilous situation. The organization argues that the plan is a step toward sending the Afghans back to Afghanistan, a possibility they say would place them in severe danger.

However, reports also note the significant strain on the DRC, which is already host to millions of internally displaced people and hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring countries. The article highlights the considerable legal and logistical challenges facing the evacuees and the differing views on how to resolve their situation.