The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Sweden has spent more than 8 million Swedish kronor (about $840,000) on a campaign aimed at encouraging Afghans to voluntarily return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, but no one has accepted the offer so far, Sweden Herald reported, citing Aftonbladet.
According to the report, the project, known as "Zindagi
Taza," is officially run by the international organization Seefar but is
funded by the Swedish government and has been operating since 2025.
The campaign aims to reach 2,000 Afghans living in Sweden
and persuade 200 of them to voluntarily return to Afghanistan. However, with
only two months remaining before the project ends, not a single participant has
chosen to return.
"I think we should wait until the end of the project
before we evaluate it," Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell told Aftonbladet.
The report said the campaign targets Afghan nationals whose
deportations could not be carried out. According to Forssell, the initiative is
intended to reduce the number of Afghans who remain in Sweden without legal
status by encouraging voluntary departures instead of forcing them into hiding.
Sweden has tightened its immigration policies in recent
years, including toward Afghan asylum seekers, following broader efforts by the
government to curb irregular migration and increase voluntary returns. Like
several other European countries, Sweden has faced challenges deporting Afghan
nationals after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 due to legal,
humanitarian and practical obstacles.
