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Return of Undocumented Afghans - Weekly Situation Report (20 - 26 May 2018)

Countries
Afghanistan
+ 2 more
Sources
IOM
Publication date
Origin
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Highlights

286 undocumented Afghans returned from Pakistan

14,431 undocumented Afghans returned from Iran

14,860 total returns from Pakistan since 01 Jan 2018

299,158 total returns from Iran since 01 Jan 2018

96% of returnees from Pakistan (275 individuals) assisted

5% of returnees from Iran (792 individuals) assisted

Return from Pakistan

A total of 286 undocumented Afghans spontaneously returned or were deported from Pakistan through the Turkham (Nangarhar) and Spin Boldak (Kandahar) border crossings from 20—26 May 2018, according to the Border Monitoring Team of the Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR). Of the total returnees, 271 were spontaneous returnees and 15 were deported.
This number marks a 66% decrease compared to the previous week (837).
The total number of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan since 01 January 2018 is now 14,860. IOM provided post-arrival assistance to 96% of undocumented Afghan returnees from Pakistan (275 individuals). In Nangarhar, Kandahar and Nimroz, IOM began to replace NonFood Items (blanket and family modules) with direct cash assistance of USD 100 per family to give undocumented Afghan returnees more agency upon return.
This is in addition to cash for transportation. The other components of IOM’s current assistance package- hot meals, overnight accommodation, basic medical screening and referral services - continues without change.

Situation Overview

IOM is responding to a substantial increase in the return of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan and Iran. Since 01 January 2018, over 299,000 undocumented Afghans have returned due to diverse push factors, including deteriorating protection space in Pakistan and Iran. Most of those returning have lived outside of Afghanistan for decades, and will need support from the government and humanitarian actors both on arrival and as they seek to reintegrate. As the rate of return is influenced by a number of political, security and other related factors both in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, another surge in returns could occur at any time. The Governments of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has now extended Proof of Registration cards for 1.4m Afghan refugees in Pakistan to 30 June 2018 and as of 26 May have issued 327,000 Afghan Citizenship Cards from a total of 878,000 applications. IOM is working to scale up its support to returnees in coordination with the Government of Afghanistan and other humanitarian partners in line with the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).