アフガン難民一家「また戦争」 ロシア侵攻でウクライナからも退避

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】アフガニスタン人のアジュマル・ラフマニさんは、ウクライナに安住の地を見つけたと信じていた。だが先週、ロシアがウクライナに侵攻。ラフマニさん一家は祖国を離れて１年足らずで再びわが家を捨て、新たにポーランドへの退避を余儀なくされた。（写真はラフマニさんと子どもたち。ポーランドの国境検問所にて）
　「戦争から逃げて別の国に来たら、また戦争が始まった。なんて運が悪いのか」と、ウクライナ側からポーランド側に入った国境の町メディカに着いたばかりのラフマニさんはＡＦＰに語った。傍らでは娘のマルワちゃん（７）が、薄茶色の犬のぬいぐるみを抱き締めていた。
　国境まであと３０キロというところで車が大渋滞にはまり、ラフマニさんはマルワちゃん、息子オマルくん（１１）、妻ミナさんと共に歩いてきたという。
　侵攻が始まって４日間で、数十万人がウクライナからポーランド、ハンガリー、ルーマニアをはじめとする周辺諸国へ逃れた。多くはウクライナ人だが、アフガンやコンゴ民主共和国、インド、ネパールなどからの留学生や移民もいる。
　４０代のラフマニさんは、カブールの空港で１８年間にわたり北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）の仕事をしていたが、脅迫を何度も受けたため国外退避を決意した。米軍がアフガンから撤退する４か月前のことだった。
　「アフガンでは良い暮らしをしていた。持ち家にマイカー。給料も良かった」が、「車も家も何もかも売り払った。全てを失った」
　それでも「愛や家族より大切なものはない」と続けた。
　ウクライナ行きを決めたのは、受け入れてくれたのが同国だけだったからだ。一家は黒海に面した港湾都市オデッサに移住した。
　ロシアのウクライナ侵攻が始まった２４日、一家は再び全てを捨てて、ポーランド国境まで１１００キロ移動することになった。
　先行きに不安を感じているラフマニさんだが、避難民を温かく歓迎し支援するポーランドのボランティアや当局者らの姿に「力をもらった」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/03/01-13:42）

After leaving Afghanistan a year ago, Ajmal Rahmani believed he had found a haven of peace in Ukraine.
This week, he and his family had to flee again -- this time to Poland to the sounds of Russian bombs.
I run from one war, come to another country and another war starts. Very bad luck, Rahmani told AFP shortly after crossing into Poland.
His seven-year-old daughter Marwa clutched a beige-coloured soft toy dog as Rahmani spoke.
Together with Marwa, his wife Mina and son Omar, 11, the family walked the last 30 kilometres (19 miles) to the crossing on foot because of the gridlock on the Ukrainian side of the border.
After arriving at the Medyka on the Polish side, the family waited with other refugees for a bus that will take them to the nearby city of Przemysl.
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled during the four days of conflict into neighbouring countries, mainly Poland, Hungary and Romania.
While most of the refugees are Ukrainian, among them are also students and migrant workers from further afield, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India and Nepal.
- 'I lost everything' -
Rahmani, who is in his 40s, said he worked for NATO in Afghanistan for 18 years at Kabul airport.
He decided to leave the country four months before the US withdrawal because he received threats and was so scared he kept his children out of school.
Before that I had a good life in Afghanistan, I had a private house, I had a private car, I had a good salary, said Rahmani.
I sold my car, my house, my everything. I lost everything, he said.
But he added: nothing is better than my love, than my family life.
Rahmani said he struggled to get a visa to leave Afghanistan and decided to go to Ukraine because it was the only country that would take him in.
They set up home in Odessa -- a Black Sea port city.
Four days ago, when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, they had to leave everything again and travelled the 1,110 kilometres to the border.
Polish authorities said nearly 213,000 people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine since Thursday.
Rahmani and his family, like others without a Polish visa, now have 15 days to get registered, said Tomasz Pietrzak, a lawyer with the Ocalenie (Salvation) Foundation, a charity for migrants.
The timeline is unlikely given the numbers.
Poland will have to very quickly amend its legislation on this issue, he said.
Rahmani said he was concerned about the future but was encouraged by the warm welcome he received from volunteers and officials assisting the stream of refugees on the Polish side of the border.
They gave us energy, he said.