Thousands of repatriated families in dire need of aid

KABUL (SW): A number of former Afghan refugees who recently repatriated from Pakistan and Iran are faced with harsh winter without aid and support.

In the capital Kabul’s Parwan – 3 neighborhood, a number of these recently repatriated former refugees are living in makeshift camps. Among them a woman named Najeeba informed that her children are hungry and ill, but here is no aid and support. She said there is no proper shelter for her, and she has no other choice but to bear the situation.

Lala Jan, an elderly man, said the government has been providing a sack of wheat flour to them on monthly basis, but that is not sufficient at all.

This is the situation of pretty much all former refugees who are now living in the capital Kabul. The plight of internally displaced persons and repatriates in Nangarhar, Kunduz and Kandahar province is worst. Masooma is one of them. She got displaced due to insecurity in Kunduz province. She informed that there are no resources at their disposal to keep them war in this harsh winter.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates (MoRR), has said aid and support have been provided to up to 68,000 families. Hafeezullah Miakhail, spokesman for the MoRR, informed that urgent aid has been dispatched to restive provinces, and this drive is ongoing.

As per the MoRR, up to 627,000 Afghans have repatriated from Pakistan and Iran, and 520,000 are internally displaced. Currently, up to two million Afghan refugees are residing in Iran and more than two million are residing in Pakistan.

ENDS