US Weighs Plan to Send Afghan Allies from Qatar to Third Country
The Trump administration is actively engaged in discussions to potentially relocate more than 1,000 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, along with relatives of U.S. service members currently stranded in Qatar, to a third country. This development, confirmed by both U.S. government sources and advocacy groups, has sparked significant debate and concern among refugee advocates and former officials.
Details of the Proposed Relocation Plan
According to Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of the #AfghanEvac coalition, U.S. officials have informed him and other groups that negotiations have taken place between the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding the resettlement of these Afghan refugees. The refugees, numbering approximately 1,100, have been in a state of limbo at Camp As-Sayliyah, a U.S. base in Doha, for the past year. This group includes individuals who served as interpreters and with Special Operations Forces, as well as the immediate families of over 150 active-duty U.S. military personnel.
The State Department has acknowledged that it is exploring options to "voluntarily" resettle the refugees in a third country but has not specified which nations are under consideration. VanDiver has criticized the notion of voluntariness in this context, stating that the alternatives presented to the refugees are either returning to Afghanistan, where they face likely reprisal or death from the Taliban, or being sent to Congo. He described this as a choice made under duress rather than a genuine voluntary decision.
Humanitarian and Political Context
These discussions emerge more than a year after President Donald Trump paused his predecessor's Afghan resettlement program as part of a broader series of executive orders aimed at tightening immigration controls. This policy shift has left thousands of refugees, who fled war and persecution and underwent extensive vetting processes, stranded at various locations worldwide, including the base in Qatar.
Jon Finer, former deputy national security adviser to President Joe Biden, emphasized that the Doha base was intended as a transit facility, not a long-term holding center for families. He stressed the importance of honoring wartime commitments to Afghan allies. However, Finer and other former officials and refugee advocates have expressed deep concerns about resettling Afghans in Congo, which the United Nations describes as facing one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies globally. The country has been plagued by decades of conflict between government forces and Rwanda-backed rebels in its eastern regions.
International Implications and Refugee Perspectives
Congo is one of at least eight African nations that entered into controversial agreements with the Trump administration to receive migrants deported from the U.S. to countries other than their own. Like many other African nations involved in this deportation program, Congo has also been significantly impacted by the Trump administration's policies on aid and trade. Prior to Trump's second term, at least 70% of Congo's humanitarian aid came from the U.S., and aid workers report that American aid cuts have led to preventable deaths in conflict-affected areas.
Sean Jamshidi, an Afghan American who served in the U.S. military, including a deployment in Congo, voiced grave concerns about the potential relocation of his brother from the Doha base to Congo. He highlighted the dire security situation, displacement camps, and high mortality rates, arguing that Congo is not a suitable destination for vetted Afghan allies and their children.
Refugee Experiences and Uncertain Futures
Negina Khalili, a former prosecutor in Afghanistan who fled during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, has been anxiously awaiting news about the resettlement status of her father, brother, and stepmother since they arrived at the Doha base in January 2025. She reported that her family is stressed and worried about the possibility of being sent to Congo, citing safety concerns and a lack of information from U.S. officials. Khalili noted that refugees at the camp have been offered money to return to Afghanistan, further complicating their decision-making process.
The Associated Press reported that Congolese authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the discussions, which some in the country did not find surprising given past agreements. As the situation unfolds, the fate of these Afghan refugees remains uncertain, with ongoing debates about humanitarian obligations, immigration policies, and the safety of third-country resettlement options.
