Christians Plan Assistance as Iran Deports Afghan Refugees

Christian World Service in the US is monitoring western Afghanistan after reports came in from its Pakistan/Afghanistan office saying that the Iranian government is deporting Afghanis as illegal refugees.

Church World Service's Pakistan/Afghanistan office reports that the Afghani deportees are now scattered across Afghanistan's three western provinces of Herat, Farah and Nimroz.

CWS, a member of Action by Churches Together International, says that UN reports put the number of returnee refugee families that have been registered by the Afghanistan government at 564 in Farah Province, while a further 500 families that have not been registered are believed to be spread over the various districts. Some 4,500 returnee families have been reported as arriving in Nimroz Province.

Reports from the Afghan Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, indicate that some 30,000 Afghan refugees, including women and children, were sent home from Iran the last week of April alone.

It is unclear how many Afghans work and live in Iran without formal documentation but, according to reports, Iran has indicated that there may be as many as one million people who will be sent home to Afghanistan.

CWS-Pakistan/Afghanistan says that fromn 24 April to 5 May 2007, the process of deporting Afghan refugees has been going on through the Dogharoon border of Herat Province and Abrishem Bridge of Nimroz Province. Reports have also emerged of people being forcibly repatriated and deportees have said that they have been ill-treated by Iranian security officials.

Returnees are facing huge problems surviving day to day, with a need for food, shelter and other basic items, especially amongst the families that are scattered across Farah and Nimroz provinces-both areas where insecurity levels are high, and few aid agencies operate.

Herat has fewer returnees and is receiving relatively more assistance, as there are more international and national NGOs and UN agencies operating in the area. At the same time, there is currently a lack of coordination and planning between government agencies and international organizations working in the areas. Only the UNHCR in Farah has so far provided assistance to these refugees to date.

CWS-P/A is monitoring the situation in cooperation with other members of the ACT forum in Afghanistan and has sent a request for Rapid Response Funding for basic food and shelter relief items to be distributed through their local partner Afghan Development Association in the Farah and Nimroz Provinces.