Highlights
- 1,003 undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan
- 9,242 undocumented Afghans returned from Iran
- 8,001 total returns from Pakistan since 01 Jan 2018
- 162,781 total returns from Iran since 01 Jan 2018
- 96% of returnees from Pakistan (963 individuals) assisted
- 6% of returnees from Iran (566 individuals) assisted
- 44 Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) from Iran among those assisted, 0 from Pakistan
- 31 Medical Cases (MC) from Iran among those assisted, 0 from Pakistan
Return from Pakistan
A total of 1,003 undocumented Afghans spontaneously returned or were deported from Pakistan through the Turkham (Nangarhar) and Spin Boldak (Kandahar) border crossings from 01—07 April 2018, according to the Border Monitoring Team of the Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR). Of the total returnees, 977 were spontaneous returnees and 26 were deported. This number marks a 2% increase compared to the previous week (987). The total number of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan since 01 January 2018 is now 8,001. IOM provided post-arrival assistance to 96% of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan (963 individuals), including 666 individuals in poor families, 291 individuals in single parent families and 6 Special Cases. 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. Since 01 January 2018, over 170,000 undocumented Afghans have returned due to diverse push factors, including deteriorating protection space in Pakistan and Iran. 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. The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan together with UN counterparts have now extended Proof of Registration cards for 1.4m Afghan refugees in Pakistan to 30 June 2018 and have begun the issuance of Afghan Citizenship Cards on 16 February for more than 850,000 undocumented Afghans. IOM is working to scale up its support to returnees in coordination with the Government of Afghanistan and other humanitarian partners in line with the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).