The United Nations has warned that the pace and scale of returns from Iran are placing immense pressure on Afghanistan’s already fragile support systems, compounding the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary General António Guterres, told reporters on Tuesday that more than 1.3 million Afghan migrants have returned to the country in 2025 alone, putting further strain on communities where an estimated 70 percent of the population lives in poverty.
Dujarric cited a recent visit by Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), to the Islam Qala border crossing in Herat Province, where she called for urgent international support for relief efforts.
The warning follows similar concerns voiced by humanitarian organizations, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Nicole van Batenburg, a senior official with the federation, told the Associated Press that children returning from Iran are suffering from heat-related illnesses, skin infections, and other diseases due to harsh border conditions and a lack of basic healthcare.
Van Batenburg said her teams are reuniting hundreds of children with their families each day after they were separated during chaotic border crossings. Many returnees, she added, lost their identity documents and essential belongings in the process.
“Some families arrived with only a few bags, which they are now using as makeshift shelters,” she said.
The mass return of migrants, much of it driven by deportations from Iran, comes amid a dramatic drop in international aid to Afghanistan. Humanitarian agencies warn that without additional funding and global attention, the already stretched infrastructure could collapse, deepening the risk of widespread suffering.
