Deported Afghans in Kabul Camp Voice Fears Over Harsh Conditions
As the deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran and Pakistan continues, a number of recently returned individuals at the Kabul camp have voiced deep concern about their dire living conditions.
They say they are living under harsh circumstances due to lack of shelter, unemployment, and the absence of basic services.
The deportees are calling on the caretaker government and humanitarian agencies to urgently facilitate their organized relocation to provinces, provide essential aid, create job opportunities, and ensure access to education for their children.
Adina Samadi, deported from Iran, said: “Our demand is for the government to address the situation of returnees. I came by vehicle, and along the way, my mother became ill. We faced many problems and arrived late because for the past twenty days, we haven’t even found a vehicle to take us to the city we want to go to, like Takhar.”
Khyber, another deportee from Iran, said: “Our request is that support be provided to returnees as soon as possible — to give them homes and means to live. Right now, we have no house; we’ve been sleeping here in the camp for four days, and we have nowhere to go.”
Zalmai, a deportee currently residing at the Kabul camp, said the camp has become his temporary shelter, but he is due to be relocated to Kunduz, hoping that a proper facility will be available there for returning migrants.
Zalmai added: “We ask the government to help us. Right now, we have no place to live and are staying in this camp. We don’t know if Kunduz even has a camp — and if it does, will they accept us? Otherwise, we’ll have no choice but to sleep by the roadside with just a blanket.”
Meanwhile, the Commission for Refugee Affairs has said it is working to provide facilities for returnees from neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan. It reported that just yesterday, 544 families returned to the country through Islam Qala.
Nazar Nazari, a migrant rights activist, stated: “The current efforts are still insufficient. There needs to be more action to address existing challenges and ensure the successful integration of returnees into society, something the Islamic Emirate must prioritize.”
Earlier, the UNHCR reported that between September 15, 2023, and June 30 of this year, over 1.2 million Afghan migrants left Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan.
