IRIN
AFGHANISTAN-IRAN: Afghan repatriation slows as temperatures cool
1 November 2004


[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

ANKARA, 1 November (IRIN) - Cooler weather has resulted in a sharp fall in 
the number of Afghans repatriating to their homeland from Iran. "It's 
something like 400 to 500 [returns] a day," Xavier Creach, a spokesman for 
the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 
told IRIN from Tehran, citing cooler temperatures as the primary cause.

"It's like this every year. It's quite normal," he said.

Over one million Afghans have voluntarily returned to their homeland from 
Iran since the UN refugee agency initiated the programme in April 2002. To 
date, over half the original Afghan caseload has returned, leaving an 
estimated 950,000 officially registered Afghan refugees inside the 
country.

As part of the repatriation programme, returnees register at one of 11 
voluntary repatriation centres (VRCs) located throughout Iran - including 
the cities of Mashhad, Qom, Esfahan, Kerman, Shiraz, Yazd, Arak, Zabol and 
Zahedan, as well as two in Tehran. There they are provided with an 
assistance package, including a small monetary grant to facilitate their 
return. An additional VRC, assisting both Iraqi and Afghan refugees, has 
recently been established in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahwaz, about 
an hour from the southern Iraqi city of Basra.

After registration, returnees proceed to one of two exit points along the 
936 km Iran/Afghan border, the primary one being Dogharoun in Iran's 
northeastern Khorasan province. A secondary border crossing point is at 
Milak in southeastern Sistan Baluchistan.

But with the onset of lower temperatures, coupled with the holy month of 
Ramadan, those numbers have shown a significant drop. In July and August, 
upwards of 4,000 returnees a day returned to Afghanistan from Iran.

Over 76,000 Afghans repatriated in July this year, followed by 75,090 in 
August and 68,686 in September respectively, Creach said, adding: "It's 10 
times less now".

Still another reason for the drop was the start of the school year in 
September, he said.

"They (returns) were very high until mid September. Since than it has been 
decreasing slowly," he said, noting they expected a low rate of return 
until next year.

"Like every year, we know from October to April the return rate will be 
quite low - but this is quite low, as conditions inside Afghanistan are 
not very conducive in the winter," Creach concluded.

According to UNHCR, more than 3.5 million Afghans have returned to their 
homeland since the end of 2001, primarily from Pakistan and Iran, the two 
largest host countries of the Afghan diaspora, as well as points in 
Central Asia.


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Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004


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