MSF concerned over relocation of Chaman asylum seekers

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has expressed its concern over the possible relocation of tens of thousands of Afghan asylum seekers languishing along the border with Pakistan.

Stranded since February at a waterless waiting area camp at the Chaman border crossing, just inside Pakistani territory,as well as in the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, the Afghans could be returned to a UNHCR proposed camp at Zarey Dasht, 30 km west of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar.

“We don’t think that the asylum seekers have access to all the information,” MSF project coordinator in Chaman, Jose Hulsenbeck told IRIN on Wednesday. “Only 400 families are willing to relocate at the moment and they are the minority of the refugees in Chaman,” she said. Most of the refugees are ethnic Pashtuns fleeing drought and ethnic persecution in Northern Afghanistan, she added.

“The Pashtuns from the north would prefer to wait in Chaman and see the security situation in their areas of origin over the relocation to another site inside Afghanistan,” Hulsenbeck said, adding that they would like to return directly to their villages.

She further noted that the proposed Zarey Dasht camp was far away from Kandahar city, making conditions difficult for such a return. “How do people make a livelihood there remains a question,” she said. “We are also concerned over how the water situation will develop.”

Her comments follow a UNHCR statement on Tuesday about a visit by camp representatives to the proposed camp site in Zarey Dasht. According to the agency, elders of some 500 families from the northern Jawzjan province said that they were ready to relocated immediately to Zarey Dasht.

But other representatives said they still hoped for a change in the north, where ethnic Pashtun had complained of harassment by other ethnic groups. However, they said their families would also move to the new camp if conditions in the north did not change in the next month. UNHCR hopes to relocate the first group of standard Afghans in mid August.

There are more than 30,000 internally displaced Afghans in Spin Boldak and nearly 26,000 asylum seekers in Chaman. The proposed camp has a capacity to host up to 60,000, the refugee agency claims.

UNHCR site planner Roy Oliff, believes that water has been found 20 to 24 meters below the surface and hand pumps would provide drinking water. On arrival families will stay in a transit site where they will receive meals until they build their own mud houses on sites provided. The site will include areas for mosques, schools and markets. Health facilities would also be provided. UNHCR stressed that the decision to return to their home or relocate would be taken by the asylum seekers voluntarily.

Meanwhile, UNHCR in the Pakistani capital Islamabad was forced to temporarily suspend repatriation activities on Tuesday when an Afghan refugee set his clothes on fire and incited a crowd to throw stones at UN staff.

The man, whose claim for UNHCR assistance to return to Afghanistan had been rejected on Monday because he had already received aid, was treated at a UNHCR clinic and was discharged after examination in a hospital. No UN staff was injured but several windows were smashed by stones.