De facto administrative deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi reported that neighboring nations have forcibly expelled or repatriated approximately 8 million Afghan refugees over the past five years, creating an escalating humanitarian crisis as winter approaches.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a special fundraising week organized by the de facto Afghan Red Crescent Society, Hanafi highlighted the immense strain placed on the country’s depleted resources by continuous mass returns.
Daily Inflows and Severe Winter Vulnerabilities
According to senior de facto officials, the humanitarian emergency shows no sign of abating:
- Ongoing Daily Returns: Hanafi noted that approximately one thousand individuals continue to cross back into Afghanistan every single day, many arriving destitute and urgently requiring food, shelter, and medical assistance.
- Winter Relief Appeal: Citing the impending harsh winter conditions, the de facto administrative deputy urged affluent expatriates, business owners, and citizens inside the country to contribute generously to Red Crescent donation drives.
- Aid Shortfalls: The appeal underscores mounting domestic pressure as international aid organizations face severe funding deficits, leaving de facto authorities struggling to support millions of displaced households and vulnerable returnees.
Human rights monitors and humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that large-scale, abrupt deportations from neighboring host countries—particularly amid widespread economic collapse, unemployment, and sweeping restrictions on public life—expose returning populations to extreme destitution and survival risks.