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DUBAI: A whole lot of Afghans have launched a uncommon protest at a United Arab Emirates facility the place they’ve been housed since fleeing their homeland final yr, holding banners pleading for freedom and demanding to be despatched to the US to be resettled.
1000’s of Afghans have been final yr evacuated to the Gulf Arab state on behalf of the US and different Western international locations amid the chaotic US-led withdrawal from Afghanistan and return to energy of the hard-line Islamist Taliban motion.
The UAE, a detailed US companion, agreed to supply Afghans with momentary housing as they waited to be resettled elsewhere.
Six months later, nonetheless, many are nonetheless within the UAE, residing in tightly managed services.
Protests began on Wednesday and continued on Thursday, two demonstrators instructed Reuters on the situation of anonymity, fearing retribution from authorities for talking out.
Movies despatched to Reuters confirmed males, ladies and kids calling on Washington to welcome them to their second residence.
Comparable movies and pictures have been broadly shared on social media.
The 2 protesters, one in every of whom shared the movies, stated the rally was triggered by the persistent ignorance on when Afghans could be resettled.
A kind of protesters instructed Reuters by cellphone that some Afghans have been detained by Emirati authorities as demonstrations started.
The UAE authorities and the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi had no quick touch upon the protests.
Shawn VanDiver, a US Navy veteran and president of #AfghanEvac, a coalition of volunteer teams, stated the Afghans have been understandably annoyed and that there was a shared, international accountability of being open and trustworthy with them.
“The coalition goes to do every part they’ll to carry the US authorities and others to clear, concize and correct communications,” he stated.
It’s unclear what number of Afghans are being housed within the UAE, which final September stated it had evacuated 9,000 Afghan nations who have been on their means third international locations.
Advocates and protesters estimate there are 12,000 housed throughout two services in Abu Dhabi.
One of many protesters stated situations within the services have been prison-like.
Two sources acquainted with the method instructed Reuters the US was prioritising these in Abu Dhabi who had visas or purposes to go the US however many there had neither.
A protest signal at one of many Abu Dhabi services learn: “Once we have been evacuated, the (US) dept (division) of protection had the management of the (Kabul) airport. No-one got here by themselves.”
Ahmad Mohibi, a former US counter-terrorism adviser in Afghanistan who has assisted these fleeing Afghanistan, stated US flights carrying Afghans from the UAE stopped in November.
Some Afghans had threatened to go on a starvation strike in protest as they watch for resettlement, whereas a small group had requested to return to Afghanistan, he stated.
“There isn’t a transparency,” Mohibi stated, criticizing the US resettlement course of for the Afghans within the UAE services.
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