(Ottawa) Some shelters in Kabul, where hundreds of Afghans who have assisted the Canadian military and non-governmental organizations are waiting to flee to Canada, are expected to be closed in two weeks due to a lack of funding.
An organization that runs the shelters, where about 1,700 people allowed to come to Canada are accommodated and fed, said it would soon be too late to keep them running.
Without government support, some will have to close because they don’t have the money to keep them all open.
The shelters, set up for interpreters who have assisted Canadian servicemen and Afghans working with Canadian non-governmental organizations, are funded by veterans, charities and private donations.
Afghans already authorized to come to Canada must be informed imminently that there are not enough funds to continue housing them all, said Stephen Watt of Northern Lights Canada, who works with the refugees.
Wendy Noury Long, director of the Association of Afghan Interpreters, said Afghans with papers to come to Canada risk being left to fend for themselves in Kabul. She said the Canadian government had received a request for funding to keep the shelters open, but nothing has been done yet.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said on Friday that the federal government is always looking for new ways to bring Afghan refugees to Canada.
“By working with our allies, civil society groups, neighboring countries and a range of other partners, we are exhausting all options and finding new avenues to repatriate refugees to safety in Canada,” Cohen said in a written statement.
“An important part of this is working closely with various veterans groups, NGOs and other organizations on the ground in Afghanistan, including through financial support. Since the end of the evacuations, we have worked together to help about a thousand refugees to leave Afghanistan. We cannot give more details due to security concerns. ”
A temporary measure
The shelters were set up as a temporary measure – a step before travel to Canada, said Mr.me Noury Long. But because so few Afghans can leave Kabul, they are stuck there “like easy prey (sitting ducks),” she argued.
Aman Lara, the Canadian non-governmental organization that runs the shelters on the ground, said the evacuations were so slow she did not have the funds to keep them all open.
“Due to the complexity of the situation in Afghanistan, Aman Lara unfortunately has to cut back accommodation assistance for Afghans needing to be evacuated by November 5. Currently around 1,700 people are under our responsibility, ”the organization said in a statement.
“We expected requests to be processed in a timely manner and evacuations to be faster. Unfortunately, our ability to finance housing has diminished and time is running out. The housing is expensive and has been financed by private donations, ”she added.
“While it is disappointing to reduce this housing, Aman Lara is determined and will continue to focus on the safe evacuation of vulnerable Afghans out of Afghanistan. We are working closely with the Government of Canada and are exploring both ground and air options to facilitate their path to Canada. ”
Interpreters and others who assisted Canadians stationed in Afghanistan were in relative safety in Kabul before the Taliban took control of the country. Canada ended its airlift mission from Kabul in late August as the United States completed its own withdrawal from the country. Thousands of people authorized to travel to Canada have been left behind, including Canadian citizens.
Mme Noury Long said there was “an inability to fund these facilities indefinitely in any type of long-term capacity” and that escape from Afghanistan – even through neighboring borders – was increasingly becoming hard.
Canada has pledged to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees who fled the country and has put in place a special program for particularly vulnerable Afghans, including women leaders, human rights activists and persecuted minorities.
About 3,700 Afghan Canadians and refugees, including former interpreters, were airlifted from Canada before the end of August.
Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan announced on Friday that Canada will resettle up to 322 additional Afghans who have assisted NATO countries, as well as their immediate family members, who must meet the eligibility requirements of the Canada. This commitment is in addition to up to 150 NATO-affiliated Afghans being resettled in Canada.