Afghan Evacuees in Qatar Oppose Resettlement to DR Congo

U.S. proposal to resettle them in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to an open letter shared by the campaign group AfghanEvac on Wednesday. The letter stated, 'We have been in enough war. We cannot take our children into another one.

We also cannot return to Afghanistan. com reported that campaigners say Washington is preparing to force the 1,100 inhabitants to choose between returning to Afghanistan or resettling in the Democratic Republic of Congo. S.

Media. The State Department said relocating camp residents to a third country would offer safety and a chance to start a new life, but declined to confirm the Democratic Republic of Congo as a destination. DR Congo officials had no comment when asked by AFP about the reported plans.

U.S. forces and their families have been stuck for over a year behind a perimeter fence on a defunct American base on Doha's edge. S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. S. after evacuees from Afghanistan fled to escape the Taliban and landed at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, from Kabul.

U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. President Donald Trump paused refugee admissions in January 2025 and suspended all Afghan immigration cases in November 2025. Afghanistan's foreign ministry said nationals abroad could return in 'confidence and peace of mind', insisting there was no safety threat.

The United Nations reported that in Afghanistan between November 6 and January 25, there were 29 arbitrary arrests and detentions and six instances of torture and ill-treatment of former officials and former security forces members, including those who returned to Afghanistan. S. forces in Afghanistan, has been a resident at Camp As Sayliyah for 19 months.

' Rasouly moved from house to house in fear for his life in the three years before his evacuation. S. and allied forces in western Afghanistan, arrived at Camp As Sayliyah in January 2025. Shabnam, with her three-year-old son, has never left the camp since arriving in Qatar.

She said camp residents had received no official information about the DR Congo resettlement and stated, 'Our concern is safety... S. and international forces in Afghanistan, has lived on Camp As Sayliyah with his family for over a year.

Mahmoud said, 'different rumours have circulated,' whether about resettlement or the camp's closure, and added, 'Rumours such as sending people to the Democratic Republic of the Congo... ' Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah spoke to AFP by messaging app or over the phone, and Rasouly and other Afghans asked to be identified by pseudonyms for fear of endangering family still in Afghanistan or prejudicing resettlement cases.

Iranian attacks on Gulf neighbours occurred in March and April 2026, during which missiles streaked the skies and blasts reverberated across Doha.

U.S. bases during these attacks, raising fears among Afghan residents at Camp As Sayliyah, although the base is no longer active. Inhabitants at Camp As Sayliyah witnessed interceptions in the sky and heard loud explosions during the Iranian attacks.

In one incident during the Iranian attacks, debris nearly landed inside Camp As Sayliyah and struck one of the neighbour's rooms. ' She continued, 'Many of us came here to escape conflict... ' Camp inhabitants live in cramped, windowless containers and are only able to leave for serious medical emergencies.

The State Department confirmed in February 2026 that Washington had offered Camp As Sayliyah inhabitants cash to return to Afghanistan. Roughly 150 individuals at Camp As Sayliyah took the cash payments to return to Afghanistan, with authorities offering $4,500 per main applicant and $1,200 per dependent to return.