KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Italy has committed to accept 700 additional Afghan refugees over the coming months as part of a new agreement signed with several domestic associations and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Sant’Egidio, the Catholic humanitarian organization that played a pivotal role in securing the agreement, announced the development on Monday. According to the organization, Italy has already granted entry to 338 Afghan nationals, with an additional 362 set to resettle by July.
“For Afghans, who had to leave their country with great suffering after the great flight from Kabul in August 2021, and who are waiting to be resettled after having been forgotten by the international community, it is at last a sign of hope,” said Marco Impagliazzo, president of the Sant’Egidio Community.
Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, Sant’Egidio and its partner organizations have facilitated the entry and resettlement of 812 Afghan refugees, mainly from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. In total, the humanitarian corridors initiated by the organization and its partners have facilitated the arrival of 8,200 Afghan refugees across Europe.
While this new agreement marks a rare expansion of safe migration pathways, Sant’Egidio did not provide further specifics on the criteria for resettlement or the details of the arrangements.
This announcement comes as global resettlement opportunities for Afghan refugees continue to shrink. Thousands remain stranded in Afghanistan or neighboring countries, facing uncertainty and deteriorating living conditions.
In the U.S., the new administration has suspended resettlement programs for Afghan refugees, leaving thousands in limbo, including many who had already been approved for entry and even had flights booked.
Meanwhile, Afghans who fled to neighboring Pakistan and Iran are facing increasing challenges, including arrests, detentions, property seizures, and forced deportations.
The UN and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that returning these individuals to Afghanistan could place many lives at risk. They continue to urge refugee host countries to expand resettlement programs and expedite the processing of those already in the system.
