UNHCR Warns of Deepening Crisis as 150,000 Afghan Migrants Return from Iran and Pakistan This Year

Kathmandu. Approximately 150,000 Afghan migrants have returned home from Pakistan and Iran this year, the United Nations refugee agency stated on Friday, warning that the pace and scale of the return is pushing Afghanistan further into crisis.

Afghans had sought refuge in Pakistan and Iran to escape the decades-long political and economic turmoil in Afghanistan, but in recent years, these countries have increased their deportation processes. The campaign has forced millions to cross the border back into a country struggling to support them.

“Around 150,000 Afghans have returned home from Iran and Pakistan so far this year,” said Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative for Afghanistan, at a press conference in Geneva.

“Due to the high return numbers already this year, returnees are in a precarious situation due to the severity of winter, cold temperatures, and heavy snowfall,” he said at a press conference in Kabul.

“These arrivals have increased the already high rate of arrivals. 2.9 million individuals returned to Afghanistan in 2023. Under this arrival process, which began in October 2023, approximately 5.4 million Afghan migrants have returned home so far.”

Jamal said, “They were returning, or being forced to return, in extremely difficult circumstances.” Whether arriving at the border surrounded by family or alone, returning Afghans must start a new life in a nation beset by poverty and environmental problems.

“The pace and volume of these returns have pushed Afghanistan, and particularly Afghan women and girls, into further crisis, as the country faces a deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation. A weak economy and frequent natural disasters have pushed Afghanistan toward an extreme economic crisis,” Jamal said.

UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told AFP, “While the number was less than 100,000 in the 12-month period from January to December a year ago, the number of returning migrants in the same period last year has increased by more than 50 percent.”

Jamal said, “According to UNHCR surveys of returnees, many families lack documentation for citizenship for their members, and more than 90 percent of families are living on less than five dollars a day.”

He expressed deep concern about the sustainability of the returns, saying, “Given the crisis they face, some are already leaving Afghanistan.”

He added, “These decisions are not inspired by a desire to leave, but by reality. Many are unable to make a practical and dignified living.” UNHCR is focusing its efforts on supporting the reintegration of returnees.

The UN agency stated, “UNHCR requires $216 million this year to support displaced persons and returnees across the country, but only eight percent of the appeal for this has been funded so far.”

Jamal said, “This is a critical moment for humanitarian aid. There is often an opportunity to seek long-term solutions after years or decades of exile and to resolve the displacement problem for those returning to Afghanistan in their homeland.”