TEHRAN – Following the deportation of unauthorized Afghans, followed by the implementation of a government deadline for returns on March 20, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns that large-scale returns could destabilise the vulnerable situation in Afghanistan.
Since March 20, more than 640,000 Afghans have returned from Iran, and more than 3,666,000 have been deported, including people in situations like refugees and refugees.
The most sharp rise was June 26, with around 36,100 Afghans returning in about a day. The UNHCR website has been increasing in daily returns since June 13th, announced in a press release on June 28th.
Arafat Jamal’s UNHCR representative for Kabul said that while Afghans are back home, they are “fearing that they are waiting for them in a country where many of them have never even set foot in.”
In total, more than 1.2 million Afghans were forced to return from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, exacerbating the already desperate situation within Afghanistan. The UN estimates that more than half of Afghanistan’s population is dependent on humanitarian assistance.
UNHCR warns that reducing international support is deepening Afghanistan’s complex and overlapping crisis.
“We need to act promptly. We urgently call on the international community to support not only emergency assistance but long-term support responses. Funding for sustainable reintegration is essential to preventing cycles of instability and displacement,” added Jamal of UNHCR.
UNHCR works closely with sister UN agencies and partners to support people and communities by receiving, supporting returnees and providing immediate and long-term support.
UNHCR will join partners seeking immediate and substantial funding to ensure sustainable reintegration and prevent periodic displacement across national and borders. UNHCR’s response to the situation in Afghanistan this year has been funded by only 23% so far.
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