Afghans Under Taliban Rule Face Displacement, Press Crackdown, and Winter Survival Threats
Recent articles published on Amu TV and Khaama Press indicate worsening humanitarian conditions and deepening crises of human rights violations, including crackdown on media in Taliban-administered Afghanistan.
A new report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveals that nearly 350,000 Afghans have been displaced or have returned from abroad in just the first four months of 2025, due to economic collapse, droughts, climate shocks, and instability. Over 4 million people have returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023, with 1.5 million returning in 2025 alone. The influx places extreme pressure on housing, services, and employment. The IOM reports it has supported thousands with vocational training, job creation, and small business grants—particularly for women—but stresses that long-term recovery will require more than emergency aid.
Simultaneously, the Afghanistan Media Support Organization (AMSO) warns of an accelerating crackdown on press freedom. Visual media operations have been suspended in several provinces, including Panjshir and Balkh, while YouTube content creators in Kandahar now face bans. Journalists are reportedly receiving death threats. In one case, a former Taliban police chief alleged that forces plotted to kill media workers, though several escaped. Such moves have drawn alarm from press freedom groups who see these as deliberate tactics to silence independent voices.
Meanwhile, UNAMA and UNDP warn that families displaced by the August 31 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan are unlikely to survive the upcoming winter without urgent aid. In regions such as Nangarhar, Kunar, and Laghman, many homes were destroyed, and survivors are forced to live outdoors or in makeshift shelters. The UN has requested $139 million in immediate relief funding. Among the urgent needs: shelter, clean water, energy, psychosocial support, and repair of damaged infrastructure.
