International News
Dozens Of Afghan Women Blocked From Departing For Studies In UAE
Dozens of Afghan women granted scholarships to study in the United Arab Emirates have been blocked from leaving Afghanistan, one of the women told AFP on Thursday, following outcry from their Emirati sponsor.
Laila, 22, was one of around 30 women who had been sponsored to study in the UAE by prominent Emirati businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, but were stopped from departing on their flights from Kabul airport on Wednesday.
Women and girls were banned from attending high school and university in Afghanistan after Taliban authorities took control of the country in August 2021.
“It was our only hope to go abroad to continue our education,” said Laila, whose name has been changed for fear of reprisals.
“This was an amazing opportunity for us but, like everything else, this opportunity was taken from us.”
She was due to start a law degree in Dubai, having been forced to abandon her journalism studies under the Taliban government ban.
Laila said she and the other women made it to their departure gate but were turned away at the last moment by men in airport uniforms who said they had an order that those with student visas were not allowed to leave the country.
Taliban officials did not respond to AFP requests for comment or confirmation.
Al Habtoor, the founding chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, slammed the Afghan authorities on Wednesday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and urged them to let the women leave.
He said about 100 women had been granted scholarships in collaboration with the University of Dubai and that Al Habtoor Group staff had worked for months to ensure everything was in place for them.
“The authorities in Afghanistan, without justification, prevented their departure, unjustly curtailing their freedom… I request all involved parties to quickly step in and help rescue and assist these struggling students,” Al Habtoor said in the post.
“They have the right to study, they have the right to do whatever the men can do and there is no exception to that,” he said in an accompanying video.
‘Alarming’
The video included what it said was a voice note from another of the women at the airport: “When they see the student visa and the student ticket they don’t allow us (to board). I don’t know what to do. Please help us.”
Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, said the incident marked “an alarming step”.
“This is holding them prisoner to prevent others from helping them study,” Barr said.
Taliban authorities have imposed their strict interpretation of Islam in the two years since their takeover, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has called “gender apartheid”.
The Taliban government has also barred women from visiting parks, fairs and gyms, and has ordered them to cover up in public. Women are mostly blocked from working for UN agencies or NGOs, with thousands sacked from government jobs or paid to stay at home.
Laila said she still hoped they would be allowed to leave for Dubai and urged the international community to support them.
“It is very difficult to imagine my future without proper education,” she said.
AFP
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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