The United Nations: an increase in the numbers of Afghans returning from Iran after the recent escalation

In statements made by Tehran – via video – to reporters in Geneva, it was too early to assess the impact of the recent conflict on the situation of refugees in Iran.

The UN official talked about the repercussions of the situation after the outbreak of the conflict on June 13, which lasted 12 days, indicating that, according to the government’s estimates. “We know that 627 people were killed and about 5,000 others were wounded.”.

He added: “We have noticed completely clearly since the early hours of that morning, that millions of people left the city, most of them north. But there are also many stories of solidarity, as we heard that people were sharing very crowded apartments in villages and towns and sharing food..

He talked about the status of the health sector, saying that this sector has very specific needs due to the quality of the strikes caused by many hospitals and health equipment such as ambulances.

He pointed out that discussions are underway with the government on how to adapt the current United Nations programs to meet the emerging needs of the country. He stated that the United Nations continued to support refugees in Iran, where food was provided to some refugee gatherings, especially the most vulnerable.

Refugees are desperate and desperate

The International Organization for Migration has reported that more than 700,000 Afghan immigrants have returned from Iran so far this year, including 256,000 who have returned in June alone, warning of tremendous pressure on the exhausted Afghan support regulations.

99 per cent of the returnees resided illegally, and forced 70 percent of them to return, with a sharp rise in the numbers of whales families, which turned from the previous months, as most of the returnees were single youths, according to the organization. This rise comes in the aftermath of a decision issued by the Iranian government in March, which obliges all Afghans, who illegally reside to leave the country.

The representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal described the situation on the border between Iran and Afghanistan, saying: “Buses arrive daily, sometimes every few hours, and stop at the Afghan -Iranian border, carrying the exhausted and desperate Afghan refugees with all their possessions.”.

He added in the United Nations news interview after his return from the border area of ​​Islam Qaddah: “Many return to a country that barely knew it, after they were forced to leave Iran after decades of living in it. The last Israeli Iranian war accelerated the pace of their return, which raised the numbers to a record level, while the major financing cuts made humanitarian relief operations more difficult.”.

He cautioned that the influx of people to Afghanistan has increased dramatically since the conflict began, as it has increased from about 5,000 people a day to a peak that has recently reached nearly 30,000 people.

The UN official warned that Afghan returnees reach a poor country that is not ready to support them. He added that the women and girls who have obtained education and work in Iran are now returning to a country in which it makes very gender -based injustice like these opportunities impossible.