Afghan Refugees in Qatar Accuse US of Betraying Resettlement Promises

DID Press: Afghan refugees stranded in Qatar have accused the United States of abandoning its commitments, following reports that the administration of Donald Trump is considering transferring about 1,100 Afghans to Democratic Republic of the Congo or forcibly returning them to Afghanistan.

The refugees, many of whom were relocated to Qatar after working alongside U.S. forces, have been living since 2021 at the Al Udeid Air Base Camp As Sayliyah under uncertain conditions. They now face what they describe as a stark choice: return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan or move to a country grappling with its own security challenges.

In a joint statement, the refugees said, “We cannot go home. The Taliban will kill many of us. This is not fear—it is reality.”

Critics argue that the suspension of resettlement programs in 2025 and the closure of legal migration pathways have left these individuals in limbo. One activist described the policy as “not an effort to resettle people, but an effort to send them back to death.”

Camp residents have also rejected the proposed relocation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stating, “We have nothing there—no family, no language, and no future.”

Meanwhile, a former Afghan-American serviceman characterized the process as “a political show designed to conceal a major betrayal.”

Responding to the reports, Donald Trump said the matter “needs to be reviewed.”