UN Warns of Crisis as Over 1.4 Million Migrants Return to Afghanistan
UN Warns of Crisis as Over 1.4 Million Migrants Return to Afghanistan
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More than 1.4 million Afghan migrants have returned home so far this year, mostly through forced deportations, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported, warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis as aid resources dwindle. Most returnees have come from Iran and Pakistan, overwhelming Afghanistan’s fragile infrastructure and pushing up humanitarian needs at a time when international funding is shrinking.
“The sheer scale of these returns is creating a humanitarian emergency,” UNHCR said in a statement, urging urgent support to deliver life-saving aid. Many deportees arrive traumatized, reporting raids, detentions, and expulsions under harsh conditions. Some have been separated from families or lost their belongings before being sent back. Women and girls are among the most at risk, facing stricter restrictions on their rights and freedoms under Taliban rule.
Many have described harassment, shrinking access to education, and discrimination. Ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, and journalists are also highly vulnerable, with the UNHCR warning they face systemic discrimination and targeted threats.
Afghanistan’s limited capacity to absorb returning populations, widespread unemployment, and recent natural disasters have further strained the situation. Without increased international assistance, the UN agency says, Afghanistan’s ability to cope with these mass returns could collapse entirely.
