Standing outside the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jawed Ahmad Haqmal wonders if he and his family will ever make it to their new home.
Since late August 2021, the former Afghan interpreter for the Canadian Armed Forces and his 11 relatives, including five children, have been living in a hotel while immigration officials process their paperwork.
After leaving war-torn Afghanistan, the thought of war looms over their heads again — this time between their temporary home and neighbouring Russia.
Caught in the middle once more, Haqmal fears they will be left behind as non-essential Canadian diplomats begin to leave Ukraine in anticipation of an armed conflict.
“I escaped from one war from Afghanistan and a very difficult situation, and now I’m involved in another war,” he told Global News.
“What will I do if this happens? Where shall I take my wife? Where shall I take my mother, my sisters, my kids in this worst situation, and this cold weather with no support, with no money, with no winter clothing? It is unimaginable and there is no answer for that with me.”
Last summer, Haqmal and his family were part of a large group that was evacuated by Ukrainian soldiers after the Taliban recaptured the nation plagued by war for decades.
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They were helped by the Globe and Mail, whose reporter Mark MacKinnon assisted the family’s dramatic escape hours after two deadly suicide attacks outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Now living in a hotel with his 11 family members, including his pregnant wife who’s set to give birth soon, Haqmal tries to be calm and hides his fears.
He lies to his family about the conflict in Ukraine to keep them at ease, but when you’re stuck in a foreign country and you can’t speak the language, it’s easier said than done.
“I don’t know what will happen to me. Like, for five months, I’m already living here (and) I’m just waiting with no results, with no hopes,” Haqmal said outside the Canadian Embassy in the chilly Ukrainian weather, wearing a toque and his fleece “Canada’s Wonderland” jacket that was given to him in August when he arrived in Kyiv.
“Living in one room … everyone needs something. … It is just like a prison (and) believe me, a prison is better than this. At least if I was in a prison, I would have access to something. I would have access to food. If I was sick, I would have access to medicines. It is worse than a prison.”
In recent weeks, Moscow has sent more than 100,000 troops, tanks and other military equipment near Ukraine’s borders, stoking fears in the West that an armed invasion is impending. Russia has denied it’s planning an invasion, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly pressed for calm.
The buildup adds to the growing tensions between the two countries. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea after Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted. An insurgency then began between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces, which has claimed more than 14,000 lives.
Western nations are scrambling to respond and are pursuing a diplomatic solution to calm the situation.
But in the meantime, Canada is pulling non-essential staff and families from its embassy in Kyiv, and is urging Canadians in the country to leave while commercial travel means are still available. Ottawa has also announced a series of measures to support Ukraine during the conflict.
Watching the exodus brings back memories of Canada’s evacuation in Afghanistan, Haqmal said, when diplomats, Canadians and Afghans scurried to leave Kabul before American forces withdrew from the region on Aug. 31.
“The same thing is repeating here. … There is no hope left for me because all my questions … to the government of Canada — no one has a logical answer for me,” he said.
“I really feel nervous about my family situation nowadays.”
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, Canada promised to bring in 40,000 refugees. As of Jan. 25, 7,215 have arrived through its special programs.
The government indicates on its website that it has received 14,740 applications for its special immigration program for Afghans who assisted the military; 9,820 of them have been approved.
The government has also created a new program to allow Afghan interpreters who worked with the Canadian Forces to bring their extended families to Canada.
Veterans who have been working with Afghans who assisted Canada’s military during its time in the country have been critical of the speed with which the government has been working to evacuate them.
“We’re running out of time, and the people over there are running out of hope,” retired Canadian major-general David Fraser told Global News in December.
Vincent Hughes, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, told Global News in an email that while the government can’t provide details on specific cases for privacy reasons, officials are working to help those Afghan refugees in Ukraine.
“We are aware of the situation Afghans are facing in Ukraine and are doing our utmost to process these cases as quickly as possible,” Hughes said.
“Generally, individuals provide information and documents for assessment to meet Canada’s admissibility requirements, and we work to process these as quickly as we can.”
As for Haqmal, he hopes he and his family can come to Canada soon.
”If the prime minister, if they see this interview, I will tell them: If your family was in this situation, what would be your reaction?” he asked.
“I need their help in this time because I’m in a worse situation, but in a worse situation they leave me behind. Nobody cared about me.”
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