The UN Refugee Agency reports that with the fall of the Tailban regime almost 1.2 million Afghans were internally displaced and now most of internally displaced have returned to their place of origin.

The majority of the IDPs in Afghanistan returned spontaneously and some 98,838 families (489,507 individuals) were assisted by UNHCR from 2002 to February 2008 on the basis of a MoU signed between the Government of Afghanistan, UNAMA and UNHCR giving UNHCR a lead support role in relation to IDPs more...

Refugees International generates humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people around the world and works to end the conditions that create displacement.

The paper argues that while the Durand Line Agreement is no longer considered a contentious issue between the current de jure Afghan and Pakistan states, the continued existence of political discontent between their sub-national Pashtun1, Baloch, North West Frontier and Federally Administered Tribal Area interest groups continue to usurp the rule of law and undermines the effectiveness of border management controls. In the absence of legally recognised and enforceable border management agreement more...

This dgAfghanistan highlight article address the concerns of refugee Afghan youth working and living in urban settings in Pakistan. Accordingly to different documents, urban refugee communities in Pakistan have been neglected by the international humanitarian community. Thus, the arrival of large numbers of new refugees after the September 11 attacks has exacerbated the youth protection problems already evident among urban refugee communities. A Women’s commission mission report finds that ma more...

Nov. 25, 2006 - In this press release Oxfam is reaching out to the international community for increased assistance as it warns that "some 2.5 million people, half of them children, face chronic food shortages this year." The call comes before the onset of the winter renders many of the worst draught-affected areas in Hazarajat (central Afghanistan) inaccessible. This year's draught has drawn comparisons with the draught of 2001-2002 when the international community tripled its emergency aid to more...

This briefing paper presents recommendations for actions that could be taken to increase the prospects of return and sustainable reintegration for Afghans currently living in Iran. It also discusses ways to continue the protection of vulnerable Afghans who choose to remain in Iran, and investigates mechanisms that can provide more secure and predictable residence status to Afghans who have integrated into their host country.

Roughly 3 million Afghans remain in Pakistan despite a concerted effort to repatriate them back to their homeland. This briefing paper examines the situations these Afghans find themselves in, and argues that the current refugee framework and its administrative and legal arrangements no longer address the complex realities of this transnational population.

Summary of IRIN News article: "The European Union (EU) has allocated €20 million (US $24 million) in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and areas of neighbouring Pakistan and Iran to boost refugees' conditions." (Jan 26, 2006)

Summary of BBC article: "About three and a half million people have now returned to Afghanistan, many coming back without land, competing for shelter in a country in ruins. Many people are coming back to a shortage of jobs, of shelter and of basic infrastructure, like schools and clinics." (Aug 9, 2005)

Summary of IRIN News article: "In a further effort to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees across Pakistan, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has increased the activities of its mobile repatriation teams for those living in scattered urban and rural areas." (Aug 2, 2005)