Feeling Unwanted In Germany, Some Afghan Migrants Head Home - Philip Reeves

March 9, 2016 • Some 150,000 Afghan migrants arrived in Germany last year. But the Germans estimate more than half won't qualify for asylum. A small number have turned around and headed home.

Germany Says Many Must Leave
Last year, 150,000 Afghans arrived in Germany. The German authorities estimate less that half qualify for asylum.

German officials say that at present, a tiny number of Afghans — 1,600, according to estimates given to them by Afghan officials in Germany — are willing to go back home voluntarily.

But many will have to leave, says Germany's ambassador to Afghanistan, Markus Potzel.  "It means that more than half of them have to be sent back because they can't stay," says Potzel. "There are some obstacles for them to be sent back immediately, but we have a huge number of Afghans who are not eligible to stay in Germany and should be sent back." 

Germany views many of the Afghans who've arrived on its soil as economic migrants seeking jobs or education. German officials maintain that under international law, Germany is not required to grant asylum to those migrants — unlike Syrians, who are fleeing a war zone.

The United Nations estimates that last year, some 11,000 civilians were killed or injured by conflict in Afghanistan. Afghans say that bolsters proof that there is war in Afghanistan, too — and that Afghans should therefore be granted protection by European nations.

"Afghans are not leaving Afghanistan because of a lack of jobs, " says Ashraf Haidari, director-general of policy and strategy at Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry. "They are fleeing generalized violence. Terrorism that is killing men, women and children," he says. "That — and political uncertainty as a result of withdrawal of international forces and diminishing international development aid."

Germany is one of the main international donors to Afghanistan. Over the past 14 years, it has poured a great deal of money into the country. It seems unlikely that it would wish to risk making Afghanistan still more unstable by forcibly returning large numbers of Afghans over a short time span. - Read More 

Feeling Unwanted In Germany, Some Afghan Migrants Head Home

Migrants seek landfall in Europe even as deal takes shape to send them back - Washingtonpost