About 700 Afghan refugees have arrived in Albania so far, since August 27 when the first group arrived. Some of them, former officials of the overthrown government in Afghanistan, told VOA that corruption and the negative influence of neighbors caused their country to fall into the hands of the Taliban. They also said that they are sadly following the violation of the rights of women and girls there by the Taliban regime, which took power by force in mid-August.
Afghan citizens who have taken refuge in Albania at the request of the US and the decision of the Albanian government, after the departure of the Americans from Afghanistan and the takeover of power by the Taliban, have taken refuge in residential areas in Durrës and Shengjin.
Over 40 of them have held leadership positions in the overthrown government in Afghanistan and many others have different professions such as artists, scientists, professors, doctors, representatives of the justice system, etc. About 400 Afghan refugees have settled in Shengjin. Some of them told VOA that they have worked with important US government projects in Afghanistan. They said that after the Taliban came to power in mid-August, everything turned upside down within a few hours, and their lives and those of their families were put in danger.
“Within a day, the Taliban took over Kabul and the president unfortunately left the country. I even bought a ticket to Turkey, but the airports were closed. Most of the people who worked in the government, in civil society, as journalists or in other professions, are still in Afghanistan. Part of my family is in the US, while my sister is in the UK. I always think about the 30 or 35 million people who live in Afghanistan and who are in great danger” – Mustafa Majidyar, a former official at the Ministry of Industry in Afghanistan, told Voice of America.
The insecurity and fear of the Taliban's revenge against the family members left in Afghanistan accompany them all the time. So some asked to remain anonymous. Ahmadi, not his real name, of this Afghan citizen told the Voice of America that he worked in one of the Ministries in Afghanistan in a USAID program. Those who had worked with the Americans, he says, were the first to be targeted by the Taliban.
"My life was in danger as a USAID employee in Afghanistan. That was one of the reasons I left. My wife and children are with me, but my father, mother, and brother, who is a professor and a lawyer, are left behind, and I am very sad about that. They are in hiding because their lives are in danger." – Ahmad (not his real name), a former official in one of the ministries in Afghanistan, told Voice of America.
Afghans temporarily sheltered in Albania follow with regret the sad news coming from their country. Hilai Barakzai says she worked as a consultant for the Americans in a private innovation company. She managed to leave but her family is still in Afghanistan.
"In Afghanistan, the situation is only getting worse, they talk about various problems, they say that women are not allowed to go to school, they even stopped my little sister's education in the sixth grade" – Hilai Barakzai, a consultant at a private Afghan innovation company, told Voice of America.
While Muska, a name used by Voice of America to protect the anonymity of this Afghan woman, said that before leaving Afghanistan, she worked for an American university, with projects from USAID, helping 75 young girls who had recently graduated from agricultural faculties in 4 regions of Afghanistan. She, along with her mother and sister, managed to leave, and is waiting for her father, who is still there, to join them. Ms. Muska said she feels sad about the future of women and girls in her country.
"Before the Taliban came, women were free, they could work in government organizations, go out, they could get an education, teach in schools. Now everything has changed. I can give you a concrete example, my mother was a teacher in a high school for girls for more than 20 years, but now she is not allowed to go to school. After the Taliban took over, they gave the order that girls can be educated up to the sixth grade. I follow the news often, and in some provinces the Taliban have ordered that girls go to school completely covered with a hijab (scarf). Before the Taliban came, girls and boys studied in a common classroom. Now that the Taliban are in power, they have banned girls and boys from studying in a classroom. Nothing is clear, I don't know what the future will be for women's rights in Afghanistan." – Muska (real name), engaged in USAID projects through an American university, told Voice of America.
Mrs. Hilai Barakzai says that the economy in Afghanistan is also collapsing every day and that people there are losing their jobs.
"It's really bad now. Nobody has a job, there's no future there. Everything has stopped now. I have responsibilities for my family, I have no income, and I'm trying to find a job here and help them." – said Hilai Barakzai, a consultant at a private Afghan innovation company.
Azita, whose name VOA gave to the Afghan woman to preserve her anonymity, said she is an artist and felt afraid for her family still in Afghanistan, in a province that has resisted the Taliban.
"The situation in Afghanistan is very bad, there is no improvement, just like walking in a dark tunnel. Because of corruption, they could not build Afghanistan and they also destroyed us" – Azita (not her real name), a street artist in Afghanistan, told Voice of America.
Ahmadi, not his real name, used for security reasons, a former official in the ousted government of Afghanistan, when asked what was the reason his country is now in the hands of the Taliban, gave this answer:
"It's a very difficult question to answer because there are many hands in this, from the hands of the neighbor to the hands of politicians. In these 20 years, our relations with neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran were not good. One of the reasons that Afghanistan ended up in the hands of the Taliban is the neighboring country Pakistan." – said Ahmad (not his real name), a former official in one of the ministries in Afghanistan.
But the former Afghan official, Mustafa Majidyar, sees corruption as the cause of today's situation in Afghanistan.
"The big problem was corruption. The international community helped us with a lot of money in these 20 years, but it went into the hands of 20 or 30 people. Both during the time of President Karzai and during the time of President Ghani, corrupt people were appointed to the government. They did not guide the people on the right path. This was the biggest problem in the country." – Mustafa Majidyar, former official at the Ministry of Industry in Afghanistan.
Colleen Denny, director of the non-profit organization "Spirit of America" for Europe, which has carried out several projects in the Balkans, tells Voice of America that she has taken over 120 Afghans under direct responsibility, and that she is helping them with food and clothing. She feels surprised by the hospitality of the Albanians.
“It’s a wonderful and enlightening experience. I had never heard of the culture of faith in Albania before. The hospitality of the people is very inspiring. I have learned a lot about the behavior of the people here and I want to take these customs with me to the United States.” – Colleen Denny, director of the non-profit organization, "Spirit of America" for Europe, told Voice of America.
Many Afghan citizens settled in Albania say that they are waiting for the approval of the asylum procedures and that they want to go to the USA. They say that they see the future of Afghanistan as bleak, with the Taliban coming to power. Some of them hope to return again if the situation there improves. Currently, they feel depressed and look at everything they have left behind in their country, from their relatives to the memories of a life that they thought was completely different from the one they are living today.
NOTE: This material is the intellectual property of South America
