WALES has welcomed 50 families who have fled crisis in Afghanistan as part of ongoing efforts to become a 'nation of sanctuary' for refugees.

The country is now accommodating about 230 refugees, the majority of which have directly supported Welsh and Wales-facing Armed Forces units over the last 20 years.

The Welsh Government said it is working with Welsh local authorities, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the UK Government Ministry of Defence to carry out the resettlement of refugees across the country under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for current and former locally employed staff from Afghanistan.

The scheme is dependent on local authorities volunteering to accommodate refugees in return for a UK Government funding package covering 12 months of costs.

Refugee support organisations and local Welsh Afghans are also assisting in the resettlement of refugees, the government said.

Wales' minister for social justice Jane Hutt said: “Today, we welcome the families and individuals that have served our country in Afghanistan. We have made clear our pledge of Wales being a Nation of Sanctuary and we’re committed to do all that is possible to ensure Afghan interpreters, refugees and their families are welcomed.

"Wales is a Nation of Sanctuary – we will do all we can to provide a warm welcome in the short-term and our communities will, no doubt, be enriched by their skills and experiences in the very near future.

"All local authorities in Wales are participating in these schemes and have offered their support and assistance to the Afghan citizens who are being resettled in the UK.

"I want to thank all of our partners in this collaborative Nation of Sanctuary approach to coordinate this significant undertaking. I also want to place on record my particular thanks to Urdd Gobaith Cymru for having the humanitarian vision to ensure we can provide a distinctly Welsh welcome for our new Afghan friends.”

Welsh local authorities also continue to support the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and the asylum system, which will continue in the coming weeks to ensure additional families can be brought safely to Wales.

Chief executive of the Urdd, Sian Lewis said: “This has been a huge team Wales effort across all sectors, and we are grateful to our partners for enabling us to open our doors as a refuge to families seeking shelter and safety.

"As an organisation, we are proud to help and continue to share with our members the importance of loyalty to country and culture but also to humanity and a higher good.

"We have a moral obligation as a national youth organisation to support humanitarian projects and offer a hand of friendship and support to the Afghan community in their time of need.”

Colonel Sion Walker, Deputy Commander 160th (Welsh) Brigade said: “160th (Welsh) Brigade and its Joint Military Command (Wales) is structured to support Welsh Government and all local authorities when dealing with major situations as we have done throughout the Covid pandemic.

"By supporting all those agencies involved in by cohering and refining the Wales plan, it has enabled them to focus on their key areas of responsibility and enabled the Wales plan to be pulled together in little over a week. There are direct historical links with Wales based and Wales facing units and members of many of those families coming to Wales.

"They will have worked alongside each other during very difficult times in Afghanistan; our involvement is recognition of the support given and comradeships developed during those times and we are proud to have played a part in making Wales a nation of sanctuary.”