UNHCR, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific (RBAP): External Update: Afghanistan Situation #22, As of 04 December 2022, 22 December 2022
“Between 2021 and 2022, almost 1.3 million IDPs returned to their places of origin – over 1 million IDPs in 2021 and 211,807 in 2022. The source of these figures are the 329,000 household-level rapid assessments conducted by UNHCR and partners between October and December although this figure may increase since household-level assessments are currently ongoing. In addition, 320,306 IDPs received assistance for re-integration as of 30 November.”
UN News, Displaced families face winter hardships, UN refugee agency warns, 11 November 2022
“While some regions of Afghanistan continue to report new displacement, there is an ongoing effort to contain a
humanitarian catastrophe amidst flash flooding and drought.”
IOM and Samuel Hall, IOM: Unpacking the Realities of Displacement Affected Communities in Afghanistan Since August 2021, 28 November 2022
“Samuel Hall was commissioned by IOM Afghanistan with support from EU Partnerships to produce research briefs on the impact of climate change, mental health, infrastructure, and urban migration on displacement-affected communities in Afghanistan. According to our research, all respondents suggested a decline in their mental health. People no longer have the resources to care for their own. There's an urgent need to link research on displacement and mental health in communities of return and displacement. Moreover, worsening environmental conditions have led to scarce resources; causing tensions between host and displaced populations & making reintegration difficult; thus pushing the need to encourage sustainable resource management. Research on basic services and infrastructure found that fragile gains are now being reversed. Basic services are needed, with access depending on gender, social & financial status and not people's migration status. Many urban migrants are now also returning to their rural communities of origin as a result of the plummeting economy & significantly reduced job opportunities in cities. Their voices need to be included in policies and programs through participation & inclusion. Our research briefs highlight recommendations on how reintegration programming can better accommodate sustainable solutions to climate change and infrastructure incorporating people's mental health needs.”
UNFPA, Providing warmth to vulnerable Afghans during the bitter winter, 2 November 2022
“Kabul, Afghanistan – Some 3.4 million Afghans are currently internally displaced with the majority of them living in
temporary shelters. As the winter is fast approaching, struggling to survive will be even more challenging for them.”
“According to the Afghanistan: ICCT Winter Prioritization report by UNOCHA, 79 per cent of Afghan households live in shelters that need repair and 79 per cent do not have adequate access to heating. The anticipated harsh winter will further compound the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.”
““In Spera district, houses have been destroyed by the earthquake. Families now live in makeshift or temporary shelters, such as tents,” said Dr. Mohammad Jamal Saqib, Deputy Technical Manager at HealthNet TPO. “They do not have adequate water, sanitation and warming facilities, so the winterization kits that we distributed will definitely help ensure that the people, especially women and children, are kept warm during the winter.””
“Spera district was one of the areas that suffered the most from the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that shook the southeastern region of Afghanistan last 22 June. The earthquake caused more than 1,000 deaths and 3,000 injuries, and destroyed or damaged at least 14,000 homes.”
EUAA, Mobility Trends Report: Afghan Nationals in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia, 28 September 2022 "Authorities have been increasingly focused on returning displaced persons to their areas of origin, including through the closure of informal settlements and destruction of homes inhabited by displaced persons…. The Taliban have closed at least six informal settlements in Kabul as of June 2022, and at least 55 more settlements in the country are at imminent risk of closure. An estimated half a million families could be made homeless by efforts to forcibly returned internally displaced persons to their area of origin."
ReliefWeb, Afghanistan: Snapshot of Population Movements, January to September 2022, Afghanistan: Snapshot of Population Movements, January to September 2022 (As of 22 September 2022) - Afghanistan | ReliefWeb, 22 September 2022
“In 2022, displacement due to ongoing conflict and natural disasters is continuing to drive humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. Almost 30.2K people have left their homes this year due to fighting. Many of these people remain displaced across the country, as conflict and poverty prevent them from returning to their areas of origin. In addition to this, close to 657.0K people have returned from neighbouring countries to Afghanistan so far this year including 597.1 K from Iran, and 59.9K from Pakistan, while a small number also returned from Europe”.
UNHCR, Flash External Update: Afghanistan Situation #19, 17 August 2022
“[...] Ongoing earthquake response. In late June, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck districts in Paktika and Khost provinces, south-eastern Afghanistan. Over 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed, including 250 children, while an additional 3,000 people were injured, among them 600 children. At least 70% of houses in the most impacted areas were damaged or destroyed. [...]
The broader humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains challenging across the country, with more than half of the population remaining dependent on assistance. This includes many displaced people, who often live-in makeshift settlements under difficult conditions. [...]
UNHCR first visit to Nuristan province in 15 years: In the reporting period, UNHCR staff undertook a twoday mission to Nuristan Province for the first time since 2007, as the province had been largely inaccessible due to active conflict. The province capital, Parun, is more than eight hours by road from Jalalabad over mountainous terrain in Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan. During the visit, the UNHCR team met with authorities, IDP representatives and partner agencies. The visit highlighted the lack of access to basic services, including potable water, education, health, access roads, and lack of access to viable livelihood opportunities in remote districts and locations. As part of the immediate response, UNHCR started the distribution of tents and CRIs to the most vulnerable IDPs, while also assessing the further potential for scaling up further through an area-based approach in the two new PARR locations. [...]
Support to IDP returnees: A priority for UNHCR’s work in Afghanistan remains the sustainable return and reintegration of displaced Afghans to their places of origin. Over 110,000 IDP returnees have been identified by UNHCR in 2022, bringing the total number of IDP returnees identified by UNHCR since 2021 to more than 989,000. [...]
Refugee returns: Since the start of the year, some 1,576 Afghan refugees have returned under UNHCR’s facilitated
voluntary repatriation programme, including 231 from Iran and 1,340from Pakistan. This figure surpasses the 1,300
Afghans who came back during the full year of 2021, and almost triples the number who returned up to this point in 2020. Returnees have indicated that the main reasons for their returns movements from Iran and Pakistan include costs of living and lack of employment opportunities in their host countries, reunification with family in Afghanistan, improved security situation, and land allocation opportunities in Afghanistan. As highlighted above, UNHCR provides cash assistance to those returning to help support their reintegration in Afghanistan, while also running programmes and projects in priority areas of return and reintegration.”
ToloNews, OCHA Claims 27,000 Displaced in Balkhab Conflict, 8 July 2022
"The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that at least 27,000 people have been displaced following the fighting in Balkhab district in Sar-e-Pul province." […] "… in Bamiyan province there are more than 6,000 internally displaced people"
IOM, Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) (Afghanistan), Afghanistan — Baseline Mobility Assessment and Emergency Community-Based Needs Assessment Summary Results (March—April 2022), July 2022
[Key figures]
"5,894,220 arrival IDPs who remain in displacement [2012–April 2022]"
"10,064,707 former IDPs have returned to their habitual residence [2012–April 2022]" "5,676,122 individuals moved abroad [2012–April 2022]"
"5,737,462 individuals returned from abroad [2012–April 2022]"
[…]
[Changes from 2021 to 2022]
"Arrival IDPs increased by 1%, from 5,832,454 individuals recorded in Round 14 (November and December 2021) to 5,894,220 individuals in Round 15. Most arrival IDPs are hosted in Herat province (17%)."
"Returned IDPs reached over 10 million, increasing by 18% between Rounds 14 and 15 (from 8,495,365 to 10,064,707 individuals). Almost half (46%) of these individuals returned in 2021 and 2022 alone."
"The number of Afghans moving abroad also increased significantly between Rounds 14 and 15, with a 26% increase from 4,519,522 to 5,676,122 individuals. The most common destinations are the bordering countries of the Islamic Republic of Iran (66%) and Pakistan (19%), followed by Europe and Türkiye (12%)."
"Returnees from abroad numbered 5,149,245 in Round 14 and by Round 15, the total increased by 11%, reaching 5,737,462 individuals. Almost half (48%) returned from Pakistan, 44% returned from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and only 6% returned from Europe and Türkiye."
[Settlement Classification]
"Among the arrival IDPs, 42% are urban settlements, while 30% are in rural and 28% are in peri-urban settlements."
"Forty-two per cent of individuals who were previously displaced and have returned to their habitual residence (place of origin) are in rural settlements, followed closely by peri-urban settlements (38%). One in five (20%) returned to urban settlements."
"Almost half of Afghans who moved abroad are from rural settlements (48%), followed by peri-urban (33%) and urban settlements (19%)."
"Over one-third of Afghans who have returned from abroad to Afghanistan returned to rural settlements (39%) followed by peri-urban (31%) and urban settlements (30%)."
[Arrival IDPs changes from 2021 to 2022]
"Arrival IDPs are Afghans who fled their communities of origin and have arrived in the assessed locations within Afghanistan as a result of, or in order to avoid, the effects of armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations, protection concerns, or natural and humanmade disasters."
"Kandahar province witnessed an increase in arrival IDPs of 53% between December 2021 and April 2022. Over the same time period, Samangan province witnessed a decrease in arrival IDPs of 40%."
"5,894,220 arrival IDPs currently in displacement"
"17% of IDPs are in Herat, which is the largest share among all provinces (989,696 individuals)" "4,027,373 displaced due to conflict (68%), 139,725 of which due to troop withdrawal in 2021"
"3 in 5 displaced within their home province (62%)"
"1,866,847 displaced by natural disaster (32%)"
" The 2019 through 2021 period witnessed a steady but large increase in the number of Afghans displaced by conflict and natural disasters. In 2021, an unprecedentedly high number of individuals were displaced nationwide. According to DTM’s most recent estimates (Round 15), over 1.4 million Afghans fled their homes as IDPs in 2021,1 which is 131% higher than the number displaced in 2019."
"Almost two-thirds of arrival IDPs displaced between 2012 and 2022 remain within their province of origin. Uruzgan hosts the most IDPs from within the same province (98%). Panjsher hosts the largest portion of IDPs from other provinces (94%)."
" Between 2012 and 2022, 68% of arrival IDPs have displaced due to conflict while 32% have displaced due to natural disaster. Kunar province has witnessed the highest proportion of displacement due to conflict (100%) among all provinces, while Bamyan province has faced the highest proportion of displacement due to natural disaster (79%)."
[Returned IDPs changes from 2021 to 2022]
"…Afghans who have returned to their home or place of origin in the assessed location or settlement from which they had previously fled as IDPs, as a result of, or in order to avoid, the effects of armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations, protection concerns, or natural and humanmade disasters."
"Kunduz province has the most returned IDPs compared to all provinces (1,948,537 individuals, or 19% of all returned IDPs), the majority of which returned between 2012 and 2018."
"Nuristan province witnessed a 91% increase in returned IDPs between December 2021 and April 2022. Daykundi province saw fewer IDPs compared to the previous round, a decrease of 31%."
"10,064,707 individuals have been IDPs and returned to their habitual residence in 2012 and 2022" "4 in 5 returned from other locations within their home province (78%)"
"1 in 5 19% of all returned IDPs returned to Kunduz province" "98% of IDPs from Zabul province have not returned home"
"4,603,766 individuals returned in 2021 and 2022 alone (46% of all returned IDPs)"
"In 2021, the number reached an unprecedented level, increasing to almost 4 million returned IDPs, a 255% increase compared to 2020. In the first four months of 2022 alone, almost 700,000 IDPs have returned to their places of origin. The high number of returned IDPs in 2021 and 2022 could be attributed to changes in the security situation and encouragement from the government for IDPs to return."
"Almost four out of five returned IDPs (78%) returned within their province of origin. Just over one in five returned IDPs (22%) had been displaced to and returned from another province."
"Almost all of the IDPs who returned to Uruzgan province were displaced within Uruzgan province (94%). Virtually all of the IDPs who returned to Panjsher province were in displacement in another province (98%)."
"Zabul province has the highest rate of non-return: 98% of those who have displaced from Zabul have not yet returned to their habitual residences."
"Forty-two per cent of individuals who were previously displaced and have returned to their habitual residence (place of origin) are in rural settlements, followed closely by peri-urban settlements (38%). One in five (20%) returned to urban settlements."
Persons who moved abroad changes from 2021 to 2022:
"…individuals who have moved abroad from the assessed locations, regardless of the reason or duration of expatriation. This category includes persons in need of international protection and economic migrants (it does not include other categories of IDP populations or cross-border movements)."
"The largest increase in Afghans moving abroad were from Nuristan province, which witnessed a 135% increase between December 2021 and April 2022. The province that witnessed the largest decrease in individuals moving abroad between Rounds 14 and 15 was Uruzgan province, which saw a decline of 59%."
"5,676,122 individuals left their habitual residence and crossed international borders" "699,329 moved to Europe and Türkiye (12%)"
"3,738,637 moved to the Islamic Republic of Iran (66%)" "1,094,879 moved to Pakistan (19%)"
"9% of Afghans who have moved abroad originate from Faryab province (518,476 individuals)."
"…2021 saw a significant surge in those moving abroad, increasing 183% compared to 2020. This large increase is likely due to an intensifying environment of conflict accompanying the withdrawal of international troops and the change of government that occurred in the summer of 2021."
" The number of Afghans going to all four of the most common destinations for those moving abroad (Europe & Türkiye, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Pakistan) increased between 2019 and 2021."
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is the most common destination for Afghans moving abroad. Movement to the Islamic Republic of Iran increased by 50% between 2019 and 2020, followed by a larger increase of 190% between 2020 and 2021. As of this round of data collection, a total of 3,738,637 Afghans have moved to the Islamic Republic of Iran."
"Those moving abroad to Pakistan increased by 31% between 2019 and 2020 and later by 212% between 2020 and 2021. As of this round of data collection, a total of 1,094,879 Afghans who have left Afghanistan are residing in Pakistan."
"Afghans moving abroad to Europe and Türkiye also increased, although to a lesser extent: 30% more moved abroad to Europe and Türkiye in 2020 compared to 2019, and 126% more moved to those locations in 2021 compared to 2020. Afghans who have moved to Europe and Türkiye has reached 699,329, according to the most recent round of data collection."
"Almost half of Afghans who moved abroad are from rural areas (48%), followed by peri-urban areas (33%) and urban areas (19%)."
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, The AIHRCs statement, regarding international humanitarian rights’ violations by The Taliban in Balkhab District, Sar-E-Pol province, 29 June 2022 “Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) is concerned about targeting civilian people and venues, and overall about increase in human rights and international humanitarian rights violation cases by The Taliban, during current conflicts all around the country, and strongly criticizes these violations.
There have been reports of civilians peppered and shot to death during Taliban’s recent attacks on Panjshir and Baghlan provinces, specifically these days on Balkhab district in Sar-e-Pol province, and based on AIHRC’s findings, there have been a large number of civilian victims.
Available reports, evidences and testimonials show that, The Taliban elements have peppered a number of civilians, fired some of defenseless civilians’ accommodation places, murdered many of the captives and the surrendered, bombarded on civilian venues, caused many families to get displaced and move out towards
impassable mountainous areas, disconnected phone and internet lines, blocked connective routes towards this district.
Such kind of acts is considered a violation against Islamic principles and international humanitarian rights, as well
as a clear example of war crime.”
AVA, The United Nations provides an environment conducive to IDPs and returnees, 15 June 2022
“The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a meeting with the Political Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate that the United Nations is working to create a conducive environment for internally displaced persons and returnees in Afghanistan. Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: Ms. Kylie Cleimines; Deputy UN High Commissioner for Refugees with Shir Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai; The political deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate met and talked about immigrants and internally displaced persons.”