Roundup: Concerns aired over wave of Afghans joining massive migration to Europe

The increased militancy and worsening economy have not only dampened the Afghan spirit to rebuild their country, but also forced them to join the massive migration from Middle Eastern countries to Europe.

The sudden increase in number of Afghans who are leaving their country to seek a better future in Europe has raised serious concerns among Afghan officials.

"It is regrettable that large number of people, particularly the youth,are escaping the country. What is unfortunate is that they are travelling illegally and putting their lives at risk," Afghan political analyst Khan Aqa Ahmadzai told Tolo News, a local publication, on Thursday.

Ahmadzai called on the government to take appropriate measures to stem the tide of outside migration since this would have a negative impact on Afghan society and economy.

He said it is now incumbent upon the Afghan leadership to solve the lingering militancy and improve the economy so that younger Afghans, especially the professionals, can find work inside the country and would not be forced to migrate abroad.

"Because the government failed to create job opportunities and ensure lasting security for them inside the country, Afghans have been forced to sell their properties and leave for Europe. They are escaping from their homeland to save themselves and their families from the suicide bombings and bullets," he said.

Local TV channels have showed video footage of Afghan refugees who lost their lives in the risky sea route to reach Europe along with thousands of asylum seekers from the conflict-ridden Syria and Iraq.

In several cases, Afghan youths in small groups have joined the exodus without informing their families since they believed that their parents would not allow them to leave.

According to officials, 36 percent of Afghanistan's population of 30 million live under the poverty line. The ongoing threat from militant groups has contributed to poverty and unemployment in the country.

"Job and security are important to the Afghan people. If the government cannot provide these two, then people will flee and join the massive migration to Europe despite the risk," said Baryalli Fitrat, a university lecturer.

Fitrat said that the soft stance adopted by European countries towards asylum seekers and the warm welcome accorded by German and Austrian people towards asylum seekers have encouraged many Afghans to leave for Europe.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Hafiz Ahmad Miyakhel, media advisor to Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, said that based on available data, more than 6 million Afghan refugees, migrants and asylum seekers are now living in 44 countries around the world.

Miyakhel said that some 5 million Afghans are living in neighboring countries of Pakistan and Iran and the rest are scattered in the United States, Canada, Australia and some European countries.

"Our utmost concern now is recent wave of Afghans who are trying to cross the Mediterranean in rickety boats to find their way to Europe," he said.

Miyakhel said that his ministry has already launched a series of public awareness programs in several parts of the country to inform Afghans about what the government is doing to improve security and to revive the economy. "In many provinces, the security situation has improved compared with the past couple of years," he said.

According to Miyakhel, although the figure is not official, some 40,000 out of the 350,000 refugees and asylum seekers who crossed the Mediterranean over the past eight months were Afghans.

On Wednesday, the Afghan Journalist Safety Committee (AJSC) also confirmed that a group of Afghan media persons have left the country to join the exodus to Europe.

The AJSC is currently investigating the report. It said the departure of the Afghan journalists was not coordinated with them or with the media outlets where they were connected with.

However, the AJSC said that they have recorded some 39 cases of threat and violence against journalists during the first half of 2015, which may have prompted the media persons to leave the country.

The AJSC has also called on international media organizations and journalist rights' groups to help address the threat to Afghan journalists, saying that this has a negative impact on the nascent media sector in Afghanistan which has achieved a considerable boost after the collapse of Taliban regime 14 years ago. Endi