Afghan employees of the United Nations have been “stranded” in Pakistan for more than a year, harassed by law enforcement, robbed by armed assailants, and forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines as they endure a stalled effort to be resettled in the United States, according to two confidential emails written to U.N. leaders by a representative of the employees, Sayed Lutfullah Barez.
And the U.N. leadership in New York has ignored their pleas for help, he claims.
Some 14 Afghan workers with the U.N. have been trapped in bureaucratic limbo since they were evacuated with their families from Afghanistan, following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military forces in August 2021, according to Barez, a U.N. public information officer with the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA.
About the author
Colum Lynch
Colum Lynch is an award-winning reporter and Senior Global Reporter for Devex. He covers the intersection of development, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief at the United Nations and beyond. Prior to Devex, Colum reported on foreign policy and national security for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post. Colum was awarded the 2011 National Magazine Award for digital reporting for his blog Turtle Bay. He has also won an award for groundbreaking reporting on the U.N.’s failure to protect civilians in Darfur.
