UNHCR Requests $216 Million to Aid Returning Afghan Migrants and IDPs

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that more than 5.4 million Afghan migrants have returned from neighboring countries since Miizan 1402. The agency requires $216 million to support these returnees and internally displaced persons, with only 8% of the funding secured so far.

According to UNHCR statistics, over 150,000 Afghan migrants have returned since the start of the current calendar year. The organization warned that relief efforts face severe pressure beyond capacity amid thousands returning daily.

Orafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, stated during a press conference in Geneva on Friday (24 Dalu) that the speed and scale of these returns have plunged Afghanistan into a deeper crisis. He noted that Afghanistan is confronting a worsening hunger crisis, intensified by mass expulsions from Iran and Pakistan, reduced foreign aid, and economic challenges.

Jamal expressed concern that the return of millions of Afghans, representing about 12% of the population, has pushed response efforts to the brink of incapacity.

A recent World Bank report indicated that rapid population growth from returns caused a 4% decline in per capita gross domestic product in 2025.

A UNHCR survey found that more than half of returnee families lack identity documents, and over 90% live on less than $5 per day. Additionally, 5% of returnees intend to leave Afghanistan again, while more than 10% reported that relatives or community members have re-emigrated after returning.

UNHCR emphasized the urgent need for increased support in 2026 to expand assistance and invest in reintegration amid the dire humanitarian situation and rapid population growth.