Kabul [Afghanistan], July 24 (ANI): Zia, an Afghan national who migrated to Iran seven years ago seeking a better life, now finds himself in a precarious situation in a returnee camp in Kabul after being forcibly deported. Speaking to Tolo News, Zia described the ordeal of deportation and the uncertainty his family now faces.
“We were under pressure, they fined us and deported us, and now we are left with only 200 million tomans, of which only 100 million have been given to us to cover our expenses. The UN also provides aid that’s neither enough to live nor to die. Our request is for help. We have no home now,” Zia said.
His story reflects the plight of thousands of Afghans expelled from Iran, who now find themselves displaced and destitute in their homeland. The anguish of years in exile and the trauma of forced return are visible in the faces of his children, who are now growing up without shelter or stability.
In response to the escalating crisis, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support Afghan returnees from Iran. The announcement was made by UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who emphasized the urgency of the situation.
“There’s been a surge of returns from Iran in recent weeks. The new funding will help expand support for the most vulnerable, including women and children, as they arrive and in their areas of return,” said Dujarric.
The funds are intended to strengthen life-saving assistance at border points and to provide humanitarian aid to those most at risk. According to UN data, approximately 339,000 people have returned from Iran to Afghanistan in just the first twelve days of July alone. More than 60 percent of them are families, and 43 percent are children under the age of 18.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi recently visited Tehran and called on Iranian authorities to stop the forced deportations, raising concerns about the humanitarian implications of the ongoing expulsions.
Despite these efforts, criticism of the UN’s handling of the crisis persists. Mohammad Jamal Muslim, a migrant rights activist, voiced frustration over what he described as a lack of effective international response.
“Multilateral meetings might send a message to governments, but unfortunately, on critical issues, the UN takes a selective approach toward Third World countries and has so far done nothing meaningful for the citizens who are in need,” Muslim told Tolo News.
Since the beginning of 2025, more than 1.1 million Afghans have been deported from Iran, according to UN-affiliated organizations, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Aid agencies continue to call for greater international support and protection for vulnerable returnees facing an uncertain and unstable future.
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