This archive report was first published on 24 August 2021.
August 24, 2021, marked a turning point for dozens of Afghan schoolgirls and staff as they prepared to leave their war-torn country behind. The Taliban's takeover of Kabul on August 15 had left many Afghans desperate to escape, with the militants' brutal regime of the 1990s still fresh in their minds.
Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the founder of the privately-run School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), announced that nearly 250 adolescent students, faculty, staff, and family members would be evacuated to Rwanda. The group would travel through Qatar before settling in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
“Everyone is en route, by way of Qatar, to the nation of Rwanda where we intend to begin a semester abroad for our entire student body,” Basij-Rasikh said on Twitter. “When circumstances on the ground permit, we hope to return home to Afghanistan,” she added.
Yolande Makolo, a government spokeswoman in Kigali, confirmed the news, stating that Rwanda welcomed the SOLA community and respected their request for privacy.
Basij-Rasikh had previously expressed her concerns about the safety of her students and staff, saying she was burning their educational records to protect them. The UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, also weighed in on the situation, warning that the Taliban's treatment of women and girls was a “fundamental red line”.
As the international community continues to respond to the crisis, aid agencies have highlighted the need for increased funding to support refugees in East Africa. The UN World Food Programme has slashed its monthly assistance to refugees in Rwanda by more than half this year.
