KABUL: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has announced that it is currently providing emergency assistance to migrants returning to Afghanistan, but the budget for this aid is nearing its end. In a statement on X today, the agency highlighted that families returning from Iran or Pakistan are facing an uncertain future and are in urgent need of support. Following the conflict with Israel, Iran has intensified the expulsion of Afghan migrants, with the Iranian Interior Minister reporting that over 1.1 million undocumented migrants have returned to Afghanistan. Pakistan has also not extended the residency of more than one million migrants, putting them at risk of expulsion. The International Organization for Migration has indicated that approximately four million migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in the past two years. The organization has warned that, without regional cooperation and immediate international support, the crisis of returning migrants could escalate into a broader humanitarian disaster with severe consequences for Afghanistan and beyond. One of the critical issues facing returnees is the lack of shelter. Afghan cities are struggling with housing shortages following the large influx of returnees, leading to a sharp increase in rental prices. Stefanie Luce, head of the UN’s Human Settlements Program in Afghanistan, stated that many returnees have nowhere to go.
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