46 Afghan refugees arrived at Brussels National Airport - Zaventem, in Belgium, on Wednesday 12 February 2025, as part of the Humanitarian Corridors programme. They are nine families in total, Muslim and Christian, who will be welcomed in Antwerp, Boechout, Brussels, Mechelen and Nivelles. The Community of Sant'Egidio, together with local volunteer committees, will help these families during the asylum procedure and with their integration into Belgian society.
All the family groups had fled Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban in 2021 and had lived a difficult life in Pakistan in recent years. Lisa Hassani gave a moving account of their story at the ‘Imagine Peace’ International Meeting for Peace in Paris a few months ago.
This latest arrival is part of Sant'Egidio's commitment not to forget or abandon Afghanistan and its people, and to guarantee a safe life for the refugees.
Humanitarian Corridors are a humanitarian initiative of the Community of Sant'Egidio and other ecumenical partners, to create legal and safe routes into Europe for vulnerable refugees. Since 2016, more than 8,000 people have arrived via this programme, mostly in Italy and France. Belgium has integrated more than 400 refugees so far.
