Latest news with #returnees
Times of Oman
a day ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
UN Women warns of urgent aid for Afghan women, girls returning from Iran and Pakistan
Kabul: The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality (UN Women) has warned that Afghan women and girls returning from Iran and Pakistan urgently require humanitarian aid to rebuild their lives in communities already strained by economic hardship and environmental challenges, Khaama Press reported. In a statement released Friday, August 8, the agency said that over two million undocumented Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since September 2023. "Many of these returnees are arriving in a country they have never lived in before," Khaama Press quoted UN Women as saying. The report noted that returnees often lack shelter, income, access to healthcare, and educational opportunities. "For women and girls, the risks are compounded by poverty, early marriage, gender-based violence, and harsh restrictions on their rights and freedoms," it added. According to Khaama Press, UN Women highlighted that only 10 percent of female-headed households have permanent shelter, while humanitarian organizations are struggling to respond as international funding continues to decline. "Aid workers, particularly women at border areas, are also facing immense pressure," the agency stated. The agency warned that "without immediate support, the conditions for women and girls will deteriorate further," adding that the reduction in aid is severely limiting the capacity of organizations to meet even the most basic needs. Khaama Press reported that UN officials and humanitarian groups are calling for greater international investment in support programs tailored for returning women and girls. "Strengthening these programs... is essential for helping vulnerable populations survive and adapt to the harsh realities on the ground," the agency said. The call comes as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged Pakistan to halt the deportation of vulnerable Afghan refugees, warning that forced returns, particularly of women, girls, and individuals with medical conditions, could breach fundamental human rights protections, Khaama Press reported. In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 6, the UN refugee agency expressed "serious concern" over Pakistan's decision to deport Afghans holding temporary residence permits, calling on authorities to protect those in need of international protection. According to Khaama Press, the agency specifically highlighted the heightened risks facing Afghan women and girls if returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, stating that forced returns could expose them to "severe violations of their fundamental rights." UNHCR also appealed to Pakistan to exempt students and those with medical conditions from the deportation plan, noting their "particular vulnerability and need for continued support." While the agency welcomed Pakistan's move to grant a one-month grace period before deportations begin, it urged the government to use this time to "assess individual cases and uphold humanitarian principles," as reported by Khaama Press. As per UN data cited by Khaama Press, over 2.1 million Afghans have returned or been deported to Afghanistan in 2025 alone, including at least 352,000 individuals expelled from Pakistan. Pakistani authorities have announced that deportations of Afghan nationals holding expired or temporary documentation will commence from September 1, 2025, under a broader policy targeting irregular migration. Khaama Press further reported that UNHCR has reiterated its call for Pakistan and other host countries to respect their international legal obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning refugees to countries where their lives or freedoms may be at risk. With humanitarian conditions continuing to deteriorate in Afghanistan, the agency has emphasised the need for "a coordinated and rights-based approach" to ensure displaced Afghans -- especially women, children, and the ill -- are "treated with dignity and protected from further harm."
Reuters
29-07-2025
- General
- Reuters
Displaced Sudanese stream home from Egypt after army retakes Khartoum
CAIRO, July 29 (Reuters) - Toting large suitcases and bags of belongings, the Sudanese families crowding into Cairo's main railway station hoped to be returning to relative stability after fleeing Sudan's civil war. They are among thousands of displaced Sudanese streaming back home from Egypt into territory retaken by the Sudanese armed forces from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in Khartoum and its environs since the start of this year. "I miss every corner of Sudan, really. I'm very happy that I'm going back," one of the returnees, Malaz Atef, told Reuters. The families were waiting to board a free train to the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, from where they would take buses to the Sudanese capital Khartoum. A couple of young girls wore hats reading, "Thank you, Egypt" in Arabic. Over 4 million Sudanese fled to neighbouring countries -- including more than 1.5 million to Egypt -- after war broke out between the army and the RSF in April 2023, according to figures from the International Organisation for Migration, or IOM. Since the start of this year, over 190,000 people have crossed the border from Egypt into Sudan, more than five times the number who returned in all of 2024, an IOM report said earlier this month. Sudan's ambassador to Egypt, Emad el-Din Adawy, who visited the station on Monday, said the returns marked "an important stage for reconstruction and bringing back stability." Despite the relative calm in the capital, fighting between the RSF and the army is still raging in the central Kordofan region and al-Fashir in Darfur in the west. The war, triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule between the army and the RSF, has displaced over 12 million people and pushed half the population into acute hunger, according to the United Nations. Some Sudanese in Egypt have complained of difficulty finding jobs and discrimination, and Egypt has deported thousands of refugees it says entered illegally. Thousands of others have fled onwards, opens new tab to Libya. The weekly trains from Cairo to help Sudanese to return home voluntarily have been financed by Sudanese businessmen, according to Adawy. The Sudanese who have gone back so far have mostly headed to Khartoum, as well as to Sennar and El Gezira states to the capital's south, according to the IOM.
Times of Oman
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Over 1.1 million Afghans deported from Iran, UN rushes aid amid crisis
Kabul: Zia, an Afghan man who left for Iran seven years ago in search of a better future, now finds himself in dire conditions in a returnee camp in Kabul after being forcibly deported, Tolo News reported. Zia, now living with his children in one of the makeshift camps, spoke about the harsh treatment faced during their migration and their current struggles. "We were under pressure, they fined us and deported us, and now we are left with only 200 million tomans, of which only 100 million have been given to us to cover our expenses. The UN also provides aid that's neither enough to live nor to die. Our request is for help. We have no home now," Zia told Tolo News. According to Tolo News, Zia's story reflects the situation of thousands of other Afghan returnees who continue to live between the pain of exile and homelessness in their homeland. The hardships are visibly etched on the faces of his children, shaped by years of displacement in Iran and now life without shelter in Afghanistan. In response to the worsening crisis, Tom Fletcher, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to assist returnees from Iran. The announcement was made by Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Tolo News reported. "There's been a surge of returns from Iran in recent weeks. The new funding will help expand support for the most vulnerable, including women and children, as they arrive in and in their areas of return," Dujarric said. As per Tolo News, the funds aim to bolster life-saving assistance at the borders and provide aid to vulnerable groups. According to UN data, nearly 339,000 people have returned from Iran to Afghanistan in just the first twelve days of July, with over 60 percent being families and 43 percent children under the age of 18. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, raised the issue of forced deportations during his recent visit to Tehran, urging Iranian officials to halt such actions. The developments come amid increasing pressure on Afghan migrants in Iran, according to Tolo News. Meanwhile, Mohammad Jamal Muslim, a migrant rights activist, expressed disappointment over the UN's approach. "Multilateral meetings might send a message to governments, but unfortunately, on critical issues, the UN takes a selective approach toward Third World countries and has so far done nothing meaningful for the citizens who are in need," he told Tolo News.
France 24
14-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Iraqis face difficult return from Syria camp for IS families
"All I wanted was to return to Iraq," the 64-year-old said of his time in the Kurdish-controlled al-Hol camp, where family members of suspected Islamic State group fighters are held in prison-like conditions alongside refugees and displaced people. But back home in Iraq, "I had to disown my sons. My house is gone," he said. "I am back to square one." Thousands of Iraqi returnees from the camp have faced major obstacles reintegrating into their communities, their perceived affiliation with IS casting a dark shadow over their prospects. AFP spoke to more than 15 returnees, humanitarian workers and a lawyer, most of whom requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. They described armed groups and local authorities in some areas pressuring returnees to cut ties with relatives suspected of IS links as a precondition for going home or obtaining essential documents. A lawyer for many returnees equated the pledges of disownment to denunciations, "essentially complaints by one family member against another". He also warned of a widespread misconception among returnees that they must comply in order to obtain identity cards and other government papers. But a senior Iraqi official insisted that the authorities supported reintegration, including when it came to the issuance of documents. Requesting "disownment statements has become illegal, and anyone who asks for it should be reported", the official told AFP. 'Moral error' Darwish said he was allowed to leave al-Hol after receiving Iraqi security clearance and support from his tribal leader. Back in Iraq, he spent the first several months at al-Jadaa camp, presented by the authorities as a "rehabilitation" centre where returnees wait for further permission to return home. There, "we felt the most welcome", Darwish said. But when it was time to go home to Salaheddin province, Darwish said local authorities told him he first had to disown his sons, who are locked away on suspicion of joining IS -- a charge he denies. Reluctantly, he complied. Otherwise, "how was I going to farm my land and make ends meet?" he said. In the northern city of Mosul, one woman in her thirties told AFP she was afraid to return to her hometown in Salaheddin, where her father was arrested upon his arrival and later passed away in prison. She is currently squatting with her sister and children in a dilapidated house, living in fear of eviction. When the family first returned to Iraq, she said, people "looked at us differently, just because we came from al-Hol". Now her concern is obtaining new identity cards, which are essential for accessing healthcare, education and employment, and she fears she will have to disown her husband to do so. The authorities, she said, "did well" by bringing them back from al-Hol, where many speak of increased violence, but they must now solve the issue of reintegration. "We need them to support us so we can stand on our feet," she added. Thanassis Cambanis, director of New York-based Century International, said the returnees "face a murky future", especially since some of those tarred as IS families are denied documentation. "At a minimum, collective punishment of the ISIS families is an injustice and a moral error," Cambanis warned. "At a maximum, Iraq's policy creates a ripe pool of potential recruits for violent sectarian extremists." 'Expanded support' While many countries refuse to repatriate their nationals from al-Hol, Baghdad has so far brought back around 17,000 people, mostly women and children. Local and international organisations facilitated reintegration, but their operations have been affected by US President Donald Trump's decision to cut foreign aid. The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), a Geneva-registered organisation that focuses on preventing extremism, supports several centres that have so far assisted around 6,000 returnees. According to GCERF's Kevin Osborne, the centres provide services such as psychosocial support and vocational training. But the growing number of returnees requires "expanded support to adequately prepare communities and enable smooth, sustainable reintegration", Osborne said. Noran Mahmood, of the GCREF-supported Iraqi Institution for Development, said many returnees fear "society's refusal" to welcome them, as if having spent time in al-Hol is a "disgrace". Her organisation in Mosul provides counselling for the many returnees who suffer from depression, insomnia and anxiety. Rahaf, 24, is one of the many women receiving help after years of accumulated trauma. With the organisation's assistance, she achieved her long-held dream of furthering her education, enrolling in middle school.
LBCI
07-07-2025
- General
- LBCI
Nearly 450,000 Afghans left Iran since June 1
Nearly 450,000 Afghans have returned from Iran since the start of June, the United Nations' migration agency said on Monday, after Tehran ordered those without documentation to leave by July 6. From June 1 to July 5, 449,218 Afghans returned from Iran, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration told AFP, adding that the total for the year so far was 906,326. AFP
