Over 50,000 Afghan refugees deported from Iran in past months
Sep 17, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], September 17 : Over 50,000 Afghan refugees were deported from Iran in the past month, the country's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) confirmed on Friday.
According to the ministry officials, the acting Afghan Minister and the Iranian ambassador, Bahadur Aminian, discussed the situation of Afghan refugees on Thursday, reported TOLO News.
An official of the MoRR, Basit Ansari said, "The Minister of Refugee Affairs from Afghanistan was present at this meeting, and it was stressed that the neighbouring countries, especially Iran, should help in creating job opportunities for those Afghans returning to Afghanistan."
Meanwhile, some advocates for the rights of migrants are concerned about the situation of Afghan refugees in Iran, particularly their deportation, reported TOLO News.
"The process of forced deportations has started again with the completion of the census plan of undocumented immigrants in Iran, which has caused immigrants to face numerous difficulties," said Asifa, an activist for refugees' rights in Iran.
Iran's Ambassador to Kabul, Bahadur Aminian, said that around 3,000 Afghans per day are entering Iran illegally and the same amount are travelling to Iran with visas and legal documents.
"Most of those who go to Iran through illegal means face the risks of human trafficking and a lack of services," Aminian said.
While residents said that they leave the country and travel to Iran due to the economic difficulties, reported TOLO News.
Mir Ali, a resident of Badakhshan said that he performed hard labour in Iran for almost 20 years and has been deported numerous times.
"We stayed there for five years, then returned to Afghanistan; there are no jobs here. I may cross the border or not," Mir Ali said.
"I went to Iran three times, I have been deported once, I am leaving the country due to economic challenges," said another resident, Dar Mohammad.
Earlier, in May, a total of 1,094 Afghan nationals who had taken refuge in neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Iran returned home, as per the MoRR.
Up to 854 Afghans returned via a border crossing point in the western Nimroz province from Iran, and 240 undocumented refugees arrived in the southern Kandahar province from Pakistan, the Ministry said in a statement.
Undocumented Afghan migrants have no documentation issued by the country where they are residing.
More than 6,53,000 Afghan refugees have returned or been deported to Afghanistan mainly from neighbouring countries since August 2021, according to official figures from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, as per the media portal.
