The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has issued a stark warning that the country faces a rapidly unfolding humanitarian emergency due to a dramatic increase in the forced return of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries. Nearly 949,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan in the first half of 2025, the agency reported, including 741,000 from Iran and 208,000 from Pakistan.

In an alert published this week, UNAMA emphasized that without immediate and coordinated international support, the sudden influx could overwhelm fragile border communities and spiral into a broader humanitarian catastrophe.

The return rate surged sharply in June, with more than 283,000 individuals deported from Iran—a figure that UNAMA officials say is directly linked to the recent escalation of conflict between Iran and Israel.

As Tehran tightens domestic security and cracks down on undocumented migrants, aid agencies on the Afghan side of the border report scenes of chaos, overcrowding, and severe humanitarian need.

“We are witnessing an unsustainable level of returns that border communities are not equipped to manage,” a senior UNAMA official said. “Without immediate and sustained support, the situation could spiral into a humanitarian disaster.”

Unlike previous waves of returnees—which largely comprised single adult men—over 60% of returnees in 2025 are now families, including women, children, and elderly individuals. Many had lived in Iran or Pakistan for years, and some children have never set foot in Afghanistan.

This shift in demographic has compounded vulnerabilities. Returnees often arrive without shelter, income, documentation, or social ties, and face heightened risks of malnutrition, exposure to disease, and exploitation.

“These are not just returnees. They are people who have nowhere to go,” said one aid worker stationed at the Islam Qala crossing in Herat province. “Many of their villages were destroyed or abandoned during the war. Others are being returned to a country they don’t even recognize.”

Border provinces buckling under pressure

Afghanistan’s western border provinces, particularly Herat and Nimroz, are under extraordinary pressure. With limited access to potable water, electricity, healthcare, and housing, local authorities and humanitarian partners are struggling to accommodate the daily flow of returnees.

Local aid officials have warned of rising tensions between host communities and returnees as competition for food, shelter, and jobs intensifies. In some areas, informal tent settlements have sprung up, with little access to basic services or protection.

In its statement, UNAMA urged donor governments, humanitarian organizations, and international financial institutions to step up their support and immediately mobilize resources.

The agency warned that a failure to respond quickly and at scale risks triggering widespread displacement, food insecurity, and public health emergencies.

The mission also emphasized the need for sustainable reintegration support, including access to education, job creation, psychosocial care, and legal assistance to help returnees rebuild their lives and prevent secondary displacement.

The warning comes as Afghanistan remains gripped by overlapping crises: the long-term effects of conflict, a fragile economy, widespread poverty, and minimal diplomatic recognition under the Islamic Emirate-led government. According to the UN, 28.3 million people—over two-thirds of the population—will require humanitarian assistance in 2025.

International funding for Afghan aid efforts has declined in recent years, with many donor governments limiting engagement due to political tensions with the IEA. As a result, humanitarian operations across the country are severely underfunded, forcing agencies to cut food rations and scale back essential health and education services.

“We need urgent support to stabilize this situation,” said a UNAMA spokesperson. “The international community cannot look away while hundreds of thousands of vulnerable families are being pushed over the edge.”

The Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to Moscow, Gul Hassan Hassan, held an introductory meeting this week with Afghan nationals residing in Russia.

During the gathering, Hassan extended his warm greetings and appreciation to the Russian Federation for its significant diplomatic gesture toward Afghanistan.

He expressed hope that Russia’s recent move to officially recognize the Islamic Emirate would further strengthen bilateral relations across multiple sectors.

The ambassador emphasized his commitment—alongside his diplomatic team—to serving the Afghan community in Russia sincerely and addressing their concerns in a timely and effective manner.

Representatives from the Afghan diaspora, including tribal elders and student delegates, also spoke at the event.

They expressed their appreciation for Russia’s recent position on Afghanistan and welcomed the appointment of Hassan.

Speakers voiced optimism that Russia’s recognition of the Islamic Emirate government would not only broaden bilateral ties but also contribute meaningfully to resolving the challenges faced by Afghan nationals residing in the host country.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned Tuesday that an additional one million Afghans could be deported from Iran by the end of 2025, intensifying an already dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and overwhelming an underfunded aid response.

According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 1.2 million Afghans have been returned from Iran since the start of the year, with daily returns surging sharply in recent weeks—particularly after escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, which exchanged missile and drone strikes last month.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Sami Fakhouri, head of the IFRC Delegation for Afghanistan, said he witnessed firsthand the mass returns at Islam Qala, the main border crossing in Afghanistan’s western Herat province.

“We are anticipating that an additional one million people, possibly more, may return from Iran to Afghanistan by the end of this year,” Fakhouri said. “The majority didn’t have a say in coming back. They were put on buses and driven to the border.”

The forced returns are placing acute strain on Afghanistan’s border provinces, particularly in Herat and Nimroz, where thousands of returnees arrive daily—many without shelter, documentation, or family support. Aid workers say the flow of people has become nearly unmanageable.

Fakhouri warned that many returnees are now homeless, having fled Afghanistan years ago due to war, drought, or political persecution, and now returning to communities that no longer exist or are unable to support them.

The IFRC has appealed for 25 million Swiss francs ($31.4 million) to fund emergency support for returnees, including food, shelter, and health services at border points and in transit camps. As of this week, the appeal is only 10 percent funded, raising fears that vital aid operations may be scaled back.

“We are very concerned about how long we can maintain services without additional funding,” Fakhouri said.

The UNHCR also voiced alarm at the scale and speed of returns. Babar Baloch, spokesperson for the agency, said more than 50,000 Afghans crossed back from Iran on July 4 alone, underscoring the intensity of the current wave of deportations.

“Tens of thousands are arriving from Iran every day,” Baloch said. “The psychological scars are going to stay with Afghans who have been made to come back to the country in this way.”

Baloch also highlighted concerns over family separations, with many deported individuals unable to locate spouses or children after arriving in Afghanistan. Aid agencies say Iran frequently deports individuals without prior notice or the opportunity to arrange safe returns for entire families.

Iran’s crackdown on undocumented migrants comes amid growing domestic economic strain and rising anti-migrant sentiment, exacerbated by international sanctions, inflation, and security concerns following recent regional military escalations.

Iran has hosted millions of Afghan nationals over the past four decades, many of whom arrived during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s and later during the U.S.-led war. However, the government in Tehran has increased deportations sharply since 2023, citing internal pressures and national security risks.

Pakistan has also deported hundreds of thousands of Afghans in recent months, part of what human rights organizations describe as a regional pattern of forced returns that disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including women, children, and ethnic minorities.