Iran deports over 3,000 Afghan refugees in one day: Norwegian Refugee Council

Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, has announced that Iran deported over 3,000 Afghan refugees in a single day. He warned that these individuals have no resources to restart their lives in Afghanistan, a country where millions are already in desperate need of assistance.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on January 19, Jan Egeland stated that the deported individuals crossed into Afghanistan through the Islam Qala border.

Egeland further explained that the Norwegian Refugee Council and other organizations are providing assistance and counseling to the deported migrants at the border. However, many of the migrants have told him that they have nothing to return to in Afghanistan and are forced to start over from scratch in a country where 22 million people are already in need of humanitarian aid.

Having recently visited Afghanistan, Egeland also met with some of the deported migrants yesterday.

Egeland pointed out that 22 million people in Afghanistan are in need of basic assistance, but the international community has largely ignored the crisis in the country.

Recently, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that over 1.2 million Afghan migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Iran in 2024. The organization also added that 67% of these migrants were forcibly deported.

Iran has increased the detention and forced deportation of Afghan migrants this year, and its officials have stated that they plan to deport two million Afghan migrants by the end of the year.

The ongoing deportation of Afghan migrants highlights the pressing humanitarian crisis in both Afghanistan and the region. As more people are forced to return to a country struggling with widespread poverty and conflict, the international community must act to provide greater support for both the displaced and those left behind.

The situation also underscores the need for long-term solutions to migration and refugee crises, as well as the importance of global cooperation in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.