UN reports nearly 600,000 Afghan migrants returned from Iran and Pakistan by May 2024

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that approximately 595,000 Afghan migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan from January to the end of May 2024.

According to their report released on Tuesday, July 2, OCHA highlighted an increase in Afghan returnees compared to the previous year. The expulsion of Afghan migrants from Iran increased by 44% and from Pakistan by over 41% compared to the same period last year.

In the first five months of 2024, OCHA noted that 526,800 Afghan migrants returned from Iran and 67,900 from Pakistan. They emphasized that 43% of returnees from Iran were men, 14% were women, and 43% were children under 18 years old. Similarly, 20% of returnees from Pakistan were men, 26% were women, and 45% were children under 18 years old.

OCHA identified several critical challenges for addressing humanitarian needs in Afghanistan in 2024, including protection risks, lack of shelter and housing, limited livelihood opportunities, restricted access to essential services such as healthcare and education, legal and documentation issues, social integration difficulties, disrupted education, specific health care needs, increased demand for limited resources, and the impacts of ongoing political and security uncertainties.

Meanwhile, despite international reactions, the process of expelling Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan continues unabated amid the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

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