A new refugee camp is under construction in southern Tajikistan’s Jaloliddin Balkhi district and is expected to be operational in 2028, according to the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan..
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Emergencies Committee Chairman Rajabali Rahmonali revealed on August 4 that the camp will occupy a large area but did not specify the exact size.
He noted that while Tajikistan currently hosts Afghan refugees in various cities and districts, the country is not yet equipped to accommodate large groups.
At present, most Afghan refugees in Tajikistan reside in Vahdat township and Jabbor-Rasoulov district. The issue of refugee housing gained urgency after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, which triggered a wave of asylum seekers, some of whom fled to neighboring Tajikistan.
In September 2021, Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda stated that international organizations had provided no support for building refugee camps and that Tajikistan lacked the capacity to accept large numbers of asylum seekers.
He also revealed that over the past 15 years, the country had taken in more than 15,000 Afghan refugees. Following the fall of Kabul, some 5,000 Afghan soldiers reportedly crossed the border into Tajikistan.
Rahimzoda mentioned that 70 hectares of land had been allocated in Khatlon’s districts of Jayhun, Shahritous, Farkhor, Shamsiddin-Shohin, and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) for future refugee settlements.
Khatlon Province Governor Qurbon Hakimzoda later confirmed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in collaboration with international partners, is constructing a refugee camp in Jayhun district.
In 2024, former head of the Emergencies Committee Rustam Nazarzoda also announced plans for a multi-functional settlement in Jaloliddin-Balkhi district, designed to host Afghan refugees and natural disaster victims. Located about 50 kilometers from the Afghan border, the settlement will replace a temporary tent camp set up in 2021.
The settlement will accommodate up to 250 families, featuring two-story residential buildings and full infrastructure. The project is being financed by the Asian Development Bank.
