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Nearly Half a Million Afghans Rush Home After Iran’s July 6 Deportation Deadline

Border facilities are overwhelmed by returning Afghans, prompting urgent appeals for more humanitarian funding.

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An aerial view of Kabul, Afghanistan January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
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Overview

  • Iran’s order for undocumented Afghans to leave by July 6 drove 449,218 returns from June 1 to July 5, according to the International Organization for Migration.
  • Reception sites at crossings such as Islam Qala are operating beyond capacity, with daily arrivals exceeding 40,000 and water, sanitation and shelter services stretched thin.
  • UNHCR and UNICEF have declared an emergency at Afghan border points and warn that foreign aid cuts mean only about 10 percent of returnees receive basic assistance.
  • Human rights experts report that hundreds of Afghans have been detained on espionage charges and that even those with valid visas have faced forced expulsion.
  • Aid organisations are calling for immediate international funding to avert further destabilisation as returnees endure extreme heat, food shortages and scant support under Taliban rule.