The Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send up to 1,100 Afghans who helped US forces during the war in Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a non-profit confirmed on Tuesday.
The resettlement talks, first reported by the New York Times, come after Donald Trump’s decision to stop an initiative that allowed Afghans who assisted US war efforts to apply to resettle in the US.
This group of more than 1,000 Afghans, who have been waylaid in Qatar for a year, reportedly includes interpreters as well as relatives of US military members. The group also includes more than 400 children.
According to the Times, the US evacuated these Afghans to Qatar for their protection because they supported US military efforts in their home country, which, since the US military withdrawal, is once again under Taliban control.
The DRC, meanwhile, is suffering from an enormous displacement crisis following decades of conflict and instability. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 8.2 million people were displaced as of September 2025, with this number expected to reach 9 million by year’s end.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the non-profit AfghanEvac, told the Guardian that he had heard about these discussions from people at, and around, the US state department.
VanDiver said that 900 of the 1,100 Afghans in Qatar were eligible for resettlement in the US. For the 200 that are not eligible, the US could talk to countries other than the DRC – which is reeling from violence – about accepting them.
“The others should just come here,” VanDiver said. “This is an easy solve: ‘Hey, welcome to America.’” VanDiver said between 100 to 150 of these Afghans are family members of active duty service members, while more than 700 are women and children.
“It’s insane – this could all be fixed just by a policy change,” VanDiver said, saying that the Department of Homeland Security could allow in Afghans who have already qualified for the program. “They can come here – there’s no law that is preventing them.”
It’s also possible that the DRC talks will not materialize into actual resettlement, leaving this group of Afghans in still more limbo. Given their cooperation with US forces, returning to Afghanistan would likely result in death, VanDiver said.
Asked for comment, a state department spokesperson said they are continuing to identify options for voluntary resettlement of the Afghans currently living at Camp As-Sayliyah (CAS) in Qatar and claimed moving this group to “to a third country is a positive resolution” for their safety and that of Americans. The spokesperson added “the Afghan nationals at CAS do not currently have a viable pathway to the United States”.
The state department says it’s in routine, direct communication with camp residents on resettlement initiatives but because of the sensitivity, they won’t reveal details surrounding the negotiations.
