In Turkey, the influx of refugees is straining public opinion

For having received at her home foreign journalists, Farideh, a young Afghan living in Turkey for several years, was fired by her Turkish owner, just after the visit of the undesirable, seen by the latter in the courtyard of the building when they were taking leave.

The mother, who has a month to find new accommodation, never ceases to wonder why she was kicked out. Should this be seen as a ruse on the part of the greedy landlord to obtain a rent increase? Unless it is his part of an ordinary manifestation of xenophobia? “Through the news and social networks, the Turkish population sees that thousands of Afghans have passed through Turkey in recent months to flee the Taliban offensive. People are worried ”, explains the young woman.

Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq …

Turkey is the country that hosts the largest number of refugees in the world: 3.7 million Syrians who fled the war are accommodated there, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and elsewhere.

The migration issue has become hot, a real time bomb for the government, especially since the country finds itself confronted with the prospect of the arrival of a new wave of refugees from Afghanistan, via Iran. The Taliban’s seizure of power and the forced departure of Turkish troops from Kabul airport have heightened the authorities’ fears.

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Having reached the maximum of its reception capacity, Turkey “Will not be able to bear an additional migratory burden”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently explained to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It is also to resolve the issue of Afghan refugees, estimated by the Interior Ministry at around 300,000 on Turkish soil, of which only 129,323 are legal, that Mr. Erdogan said he was ready to engage in dialogue with the Taliban.

A concrete wall for more than 100 kilometers

Ankara is trying by all means to stem the flow. Under construction since 2017, a concrete wall has emerged for more than 100 kilometers along the border with Iran. It is planned to extend and strengthen it with watchtowers, infrared cameras, trenches. Recently, controls have multiplied along the border and on the roads. Representatives of the special forces were sent as reinforcements to track down smugglers and illegal migrants.

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