Highlights
- 451 undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan
- 11,128 undocumented Afghans returned from Iran
- 403 total returns from Pakistan since 01 Jan 2018
- 9,081 total returns from Iran since 01 Jan 2018
- 92% of returnees from Pakistan (371 individuals) assisted
- 7% of returnees from Iran (624 individuals) assisted
- 97 Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) from Iran among those assisted, 0 from Pakistan
- 83 Medical Cases (MC) from Iran among those assisted, 0 from Pakistan
Return from Pakistan
A total of 451 undocumented Afghans spontaneously returned or were deported from Pakistan through the Turkham (Nangarhar) and Spin Boldak (Kandahar) border crossings from 31 Dec 2017—06 Jan 2018, according to the Border Monitoring Team of the Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR). Of the total returnees, 408 were spontaneous returnees and 43 were deported. This number marks a 9 % decrease compared to the previous week (498). The total number of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan since 01 January 2017 is now 98,591. IOM provided post-arrival assistance to 88% of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan (397 individuals), including 295 individuals in poor families, 102 individuals in single parent families. The assistance provided includes meals, accommodation, basic medical screening, Non-Food Items (NFIs), onward transportation cash grants and referral services, as well as support from partners
Situation Overview
IOM is responding to a substantial increase in the return of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan and Iran. Between 01 January and 31 December 2017, over 560,000 undocumented Afghans have returned due to diverse push factors, including deteriorating protection space in Pakistan and Iran. This figure represents a significantly lower rate of return than in previous years. Most of those returning have lived outside of Afghanistan for decades, and will need support from the government and humanitarian actors both on arrival and as they seek to reintegrate. As the rate of return is influenced by a number of political, security and other related factors both in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, another surge in returns could occur at any time. IOM continuous to monitor regional developments and the possible impact on projected 2018 return trends.