Up to 5K Afghans cross into Iran every day

11th November 2021

2 minutes read

Displacement from Afghanistan is on the rise following the Taliban’s takeover and increasing abuses against citizens.

“The Norwegian Refugee Council reported that 4,000 to 5,000 Afghans cross into Iran every day, calling for increased support for Tehran to enable it to provide for humanitarian needs“.

“Those waves of displacement place additional burdens on Iran, which is suffering economic crises and U.S. sanctions“.

Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland said: “Thousands of exhausted women, children and men cross from Afghanistan to Iran every day in search of safety”.

He added: “We cannot expect Iran to host so many Afghans, with such limited support from the international community“, the organization said in a statement on the sidelines of its secretary general’s visit to Iran this week.

According to the council, Iran is one of the most countries hosting refugees in the world, especially Afghans. The number of refugees before the current events is estimated at about 3.5 million Afghans.

He pointed out that between (4 and 5) thousand Afghans cross the borders between the two countries every day, which are spread over 900 kilometers.

Egeland stressed the need to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and neighboring countries hosting refugees “before the harsh winter sets in“.

In a video released via Twitter on Tuesday, the UN chief said during his visit to an Afghan refugee camp in the central Iranian province of Kerman: “I think the world has not yet understood the scale of the crisis in the whole region“.

He pointed out that about 300000 people have crossed into Iran since the Taliban took control of Kabul last August, coinciding with the withdrawal of American forces, after an existence that lasted about (20) years.

On Tuesday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Iran feared the number of new refugees could reach “one million people”.

“When their economy collapses and they do not receive any assistance, the Afghans go to the border” with Iran, he said at a meeting of the judiciary with representatives of diplomatic missions in Tehran.

He continued: “They are refugees that we respect and cherish, but the numbers are very large: At present, we have 3.5 million Afghan refugees in the country who benefit from all the financial assistance that affects the Iranians. Why is no one helping the Afghans in a way that allows them to stay in their country, and they do not have to leave their homes and head to the borders?“

“The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has requested about $300 million to assist up to 515,000 Afghans who are expected to seek refuge in neighboring countries by the end of 2021“, said the NRC statement, which provides assistance to Afghan refugees in Iran.

He noted that “only 32%” of this request has been made so far, noting that about (136) million of the total amount is needed to help Afghans in Iran.