In brief
More than 1.3 million Afghan returnees have arrived in Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan in 2026, according to the International Organization for Migration. The influx strains already limited resources for housing and basic services, with IOM urging donor support to fill an $8.8 million funding gap for emergency shelter and winter kits.
Kabul, Oct. 31 – In a statement released on Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that more than 1.3 million Afghans have returned from the neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan during the first part of 2026, a figure that reveals the largest wave of repatriation ever seen by the agency in the region.
The surge in returnees has been described by IOM officials as “accelerating” and has been linked to a pronounced increase in pressure on local communities that are already stretched to their limits by shortages of adequate housing and essential public services.
Mihyung Park, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Afghanistan, highlighted the urgency of the situation:
Families are returning to communities where housing and basic services are already under severe strain. Winter is now adding another urgent need.
Park also conveyed IOM’s plea for urgent financial assistance, noting that the agency “needs funding now to help families find shelter and keep warm before snow cuts access to remote areas.”
According to the organization’s notice, the influx of returnees is already intensifying the “pressure on communities already stretched to breaking point.” In response, IOM has appealed to international donors to close an 8.8 million U.S. dollar inter‑agency funding gap that would enable the delivery of emergency shelter, winterization kits, and essential household items.
The funding gap reflects the logistical challenges of ensuring that displaced and recently returned residents can secure basic necessities in the face of harsh weather conditions. IOM emphasizes that the severity and timing of the winter season could isolate vulnerable groups, including women, children, and the elderly, thereby amplifying risks to health, safety and stability.
With the return wave continuing, IOM stresses that timely support is critical. The organization’s appeal calls for action before severe weather “isolates vulnerable communities, internally displaced people and recent returnees.” Should the funding shortfall remain unfilled, the risk of compounded hardship could increase, potentially destabilizing fragile local economies and potentially prompting further movements of people.
While the IOM’s statements highlight the challenges of the return process, the organization also recognizes that many families are eager to reconnect with their homes and reunite with relatives. These motivations underline the complex balance between eager returnees and communities that might struggle to absorb them without sustained support.
Currently, no detailed breakdown has been released regarding the distribution of returnees between Iran and Pakistan, the specific regions receiving numerically higher concentrations of repatriates, or the projected timeline for addressing the funding deficit. IOM also has not provided estimates of how many field operations or field teams are mobilized to oversee the distribution of the requested emergency assistance.
Experts who have followed the situation observe that the current season’s expected cold snap will present additional obstacles to delivering aid to remote and rural returnees who may be cut off by snow blocks. They also note that the ongoing humanitarian work in infrastructure repair and service delivery is hampered by limited financial resources, an issue that IOM and allied agencies have expressed repeatedly in prior reports.
In the weeks ahead, IOM’s plans include continued engagement with both host governments and international philanthropic entities. The organization intends to present a detailed case for the $8.8 million gap to global partners, making a case that addressing the emergent needs of refugees and returnees now will safeguard broader public health and social cohesion in the months following winter.
Had the agency not articulated an explicit monetary requirement, many regional actors might have assumed that ongoing humanitarian efforts would be adequate without identifying a specific funding shortfall. The clear articulation of the $8.8 million gap may therefore serve as a compelling call for donor agencies to reallocate resources urgently.
Ultimately, the IOM’s data point to a situation where the number of returned Afghan families has doubled the capacity of local services for a period of several months. This reality stresses the need for swift financial intervention to avoid a deterioration in community resilience.
The realities and uncertainties raised by the current situation remain that it is unclear whether donor contributions will cover the $8.8 million funding gap, and it is also unknown how many community members will have access to emergency shelter before winter arrivals are fully stabilized.
