UN Warns of Looming Humanitarian Crisis as 2.3 Million Afghan Refugees Return

UN Warns of Looming Humanitarian Crisis as 2.3 Million Afghan Refugees Return
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The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced on August 28, 2025, that over 2.3 million Afghan refugees have returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of the year, many under pressure and to conditions unfit for reintegration. In a statement on Platform X, the agency warned that Afghanistan is ill-prepared to absorb such large numbers, urging the international community to provide urgent humanitarian support.

This return surge comes amid ongoing forced repatriations. Pakistani authorities have pledged to expel at least one million more refugees, while Iran has already returned 1.2 million, with plans to deport 800,000 more by year’s end. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), nearly four million Afghans have returned over the past two years.

Aid agencies warn of worsening humanitarian conditions, with returnees facing severe housing shortages, soaring rent prices, and limited access to food, healthcare, and employment—placing further strain on Afghanistan’s already fragile infrastructure.