It is an important recognition of the UAE’s substantial role in global affairs that the United Nations has asked it to help repatriate as many as 100,000 Afghan refugees back to their home country and help reintegrate them back into society. Millions of Afghans fled the decades of violence in Afghanistan, followed by the grim Taliban regime, and then the decade of fighting the Taliban by the Afghan forces and their Nato allies. When the US invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban, the UAE was one of first countries to set up large and well-run camps in remote parts of Pakistan to cope with the wave of families fleeing the fighting, many of whom have been forced to stay there ever since.
Other crises have since emerged in Iraq, Syria, Libya and other failing states, which have created their own millions of refugees, but the Afghan refugees are still there and still need help. It is important that the world stands by the unfortunate souls caught up in violence and the UAE has a proud record of being one of the foremost in giving help where it is needed.
