Since the beginning of June, nearly 450,000 Afghans have returned to their country from Iran. The United Nations migration agency reported on Monday (7 July) that they left following an order for undocumented foreigners to leave the country by 6 July.
A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that between 1 June and 5 July, a total of 449,218 Afghans had returned from Iran. So far this year, a total of 906,326 Afghans have gone back to their homeland.
According to the UN, in the days leading up to Sunday’s deadline, thousands of Afghans fled across the border from Iran, creating an “emergency” situation at border crossings.
At the end of May, Iran announced that all undocumented Afghans must leave the country by 6 July, a move potentially affecting four million of the six million Afghans living there.
Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s country representative, said this is an “emergency” situation, with Afghanistan already facing a protracted repatriation crisis. Moreover, this year, a total of 1.4 million Afghans have returned from traditional host countries Iran and Pakistan.