New well-equipped camp set up for returnees in Nimroz

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): A new camp with a capacity to accommodate 21,000 returnees has been established and was inaugurated in the Pul-i-Abresham area of northwestern Nimroz province on Thursday.

Sheikh Mohammad Qasim Khalid, Governor of Nimroz, said at the inauguration ceremony that local officials of the Islamic Emirate had been working day and night to facilitate migrants and ensure their transfer to their respective provinces.

He added: “Since the previous migrant camp in Pul-i-Abresham had limited capacity, and based on the provincial authorities’ request, the Commission for Addressing Migrants’ Issues, headed by Maulvi Abdulsalam Hanafi, Deputy Administrative Head of the Council of Ministers, allocated 16 million afghanis for this new camp, which is now operational for temporary accommodation of migrants.”

Maulvi Salahuddin Mumtaz, Mayor of Zaranj, provided further details about the camp, stating that it includes three buildings, three halls, a dining hall, separate rooms for men and women, standard toilets, and administrative offices to provide services for migrants.

Maulvi Abdullah Riyaz, Head of the Department of Migrants and Returnees in Nimroz, said that over the past three months, his department has constructed emergency camps worth three million afghanis.

In coordination with his department, the Danish Refugee Council has also built two separate halls for male and female migrants valued at $25,000.

Riyaz added that the new camp, with its capacity of 21,000 Afghan migrants, is expected to address many of the challenges faced by returnees, and the department is fully prepared to provide necessary facilities.

Additionally, 100 tents with living facilities have been set up by the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nimroz, while dozens of tents equipped with heating and cooling systems have been provided by the Provincial Disaster Management Directorate to support migrants in the camp.

sa/ma