“We fled Pakistan overnight, even without having any money for the journey to Afghanistan. We feared being arrested by the Pakistani police, as I did not have official documents,” Maryam* is among the hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced to return to Afghanistan from Pakistan since November 2023.

Afghanistan is suffering from one of the most severe and protracted crises of internal displacement. Years of conflict, political instability, and economic hardship, compounded by international sanctions and internal policies, have forced countless people from their homes. Adding to this dire situation, frequent natural disasters like droughts, earthquakes, and floods continue to exacerbate the suffering of the population.

Those who fled sought refuge mainly in Pakistan and Iran. However, intensified deportations of Afghans from both these countries placed people in an extremely dangerous situation, which forced them to return to Afghanistan, despite the disastrous humanitarian situation in the country.

In this context, families like Maryam’s, struggle to make ends meet. “After our arrival in Afghanistan, life continued to be difficult because we had to live in tents despite the harsh winter. I started working as a domestic helper to provide food for my family. But it is often less than necessary. The uncertainty of how to cover our basic needs grips us every day, as my work in that family is only paid on a daily basis.”

The mass deportations of refugees have caused a significant increase in the number of returnees in 2023-2024. Between October and December 2023 alone, at least half a million people were forced to return from Pakistan.

“We lived for over 20 years in Pakistan and one day we were asked to leave the country. We were not allowed to take all our savings across the border and were only given a small amount of money for the journey to Herat. I saved the money and continued to feed my children for a few weeks. Now there is nothing left, and I don’t know what I will give my children today,” Nazanin* fears that her children will starve or be malnourished for a long period of time.

People arriving in IDP illegal settlements live in extreme poverty. They have lost all their belongings upon fleeing or during deportation. Their children not only suffer from food insecurity but also from restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities because without personal documents they cannot enroll in public schools. People, particularly young women, face challenges related to access to healthcare, employment, and gender equality.

In response to the crisis, JRS Afghanistan provided emergency support for returnee families arriving in IDP settlements in Kabul and Herat provinces, where JRS works.

“Our lives have taken a positive turn at the JRS Community Development Center,” said Zahra*, a young girl who, with her 11 siblings, has participated in the JRS Youth Program. “We no longer focus on our problems, instead we focus on activities like games, drawing, and storytelling sessions that give us hope for a brighter future.”

JRS teams on the ground have accompanied and continue to accompany thousands of people through education, mental health and psychosocial support programmes (MHPSS), and community-building activities for youth and adults.

However, despite the support provided by humanitarian organisations, the unmet basic needs of returnees continue to grow, further aggravating the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

*names have been changed to protect the identity of the persons.

*this article was originally published by the Diocese of Rottenburg.