KABUL, Dec 21 (NNN-BNA) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), reported that, nearly 2.8 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran, so far, this year.
In a statement, the UN refugee agency warned of mounting humanitarian and protection challenges, noting that, many of the returnees are women and children.
To address these needs, the agency is seeking 258.6 million U.S. dollars, to provide emergency assistance, including temporary shelter, essential relief items, and protection services, to support families upon their arrival, the UNHCR said.
The agency cautioned that, without urgent international support, the combination of large-scale returns, ongoing vulnerabilities in neighbouring countries, and severe funding shortages, could further deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Around six million Afghan refugees, mostly undocumented, are currently living abroad, with the majority living in Iran and Pakistan, the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, said.– NNN-BNA