KABUL (SW) – Amid the daily return of thousands of Afghan citizens from Pakistan and Iran, the UN has warned about lack of funds to meet the needs for their health and food.
Officials at the United Nations World Food Program in Afghanistan say that the returnees are hungry and empty-handed, and an unclear future awaits them.
Ziauddin Safi, the spokesperson of the United Nations World Food Program in Afghanistan, said in an interview with Salam Watandar that this program has helped 225,000 Afghans who returned from Pakistan this month alone. But, according to Mr. Safi, they are facing a lack of funds.
He adds: “The World Food Program has helped 225,000 Afghans returning from Pakistan since the beginning of this month. Right now we get these donations from our other programs. On the other hand, the World Food Program is planning to reach another million returnees in the coming months and needs $16 million in immediate aid for their initial aid because after they arrive at their points of origin or location, the returnees need more support to withstand the winter.”
These concerns come while the officials at the Spinboldek, Torkham and Islam Qala crossings are announcing the daily return of thousands of Afghan citizens from Pakistan and Iran. Nematullah Alfat, the director of the reintegration of the Directorate of Migration and Returnees Affairs in Kandahar, says that in the last one week, nearly 15 thousand people have returned to the country from Pakistan.
The director of reintegration of the Kandahar Department of Migrants and Returnees adds: “In the past week, 2,495 families have returned to the country from Pakistan, which totals 14,970 people. Medical facilities, food and water have been provided and taken care of.”
The officials of the Islam Qala commissary report the daily return of 2000 to 2500 Afghan citizens from Iran, and the officials of the Torkham commissary report the daily return of 200 to 300 Afghan families from Pakistan. Citizens returning from Pakistan and Iran are worried about the cold winter and the lack of sanitary facilities and food.
“The weather is getting colder day by day, there is a lot of concern,” said Qadratullah, a citizen who returned from Pakistan. “We want the government to provide us with a working environment, we are worried about our future.”
Sima, a citizen returning from Iran who is also the head of her family, complains about the ambivalence of the officials’ behavior towards citizens returning from Iran and says that she did not receive any help at the Islam Qala crossing and has no facilities to spend the winter.
However, the US has assured the country’s continued support for returning Afghan citizens and continued cooperation with international organizations related to migration. Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, wrote in a statement on his “X” account: “Continuing efforts to help Afghan returnees and local coordination to meet urgent needs, the United States is supporting the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee. I completely agree that returnees deserve immunity, respect and protection.”
It should be mentioned that according to the latest statistics released by the United Nations, more than 17,000 people are returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan every day. On the other hand, according to the statistics published in the media, since the intensification of the expulsion of Afghan citizens from Iran, more than 400,000 Afghan citizens have returned from Iran.
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