For millions of Afghans returning home after years or even decades overseas, the end of exile has opened the door to a new hardship.
Confronted by shortages of housing, employment and basic services, along with limited reintegration support, many returnees are struggling to rebuild their lives in a country already burdened by economic distress, natural disasters and a long-running humanitarian crisis.
At Omari refugees’ camp, only a few hundred meters from the main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in eastern Nangarhar province, humanitarian workers are working day and night to soften the first shock of return.
The camp, made up of 1,200 tents supplied with support from the Chinese government, the UN refugee agency UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations, provides temporary shelter for vulnerable families arriving from across the border.
One of them is Zakirullah, a father who lived in Pakistan for more than two decades before returning with his six children, all of whom were born and raised there.
Originally from Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, Zakirullah faces difficulties that go far beyond ordinary reintegration. A devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake last year destroyed his home, land and possessions, leaving him to face both displacement and disaster at once.
‘My house, my land and everything I owned were destroyed by the earthquake,’ he said.
Seeking help, he appealed to authorities to allocate land where his family could begin again.
‘We ask the government to provide land for us in Kunar, Jalalabad or any other suitable place so that we can rebuild our lives,’ he said.
Zakirullah’s experience is not unique.
According to a report released Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 6.04 million Afghans have returned from neighboring Iran and Pakistan between mid-September 2023 and May 30, 2026, a number equal to about one-sixth of Afghanistan’s population.
Many returnees have spent decades, and in some cases their whole lives, outside Afghanistan. When they come back, they often have weak social networks, limited knowledge of local systems and customs, and restricted access to housing, livelihoods, public services, civil documentation and protection mechanisms, the report said.
Further south, 60-year-old Dawlatzai, who spent nearly half his life in Pakistan, described his return as both joyful and painful.
‘I am happy to have returned to my homeland,’ he said.
Even so, the strains of years in exile remain visible on his weathered face.
‘We have neither a place to live nor adequate shelter. We have sick family members, and our financial situation is extremely difficult,’ he said.
Like many others, he hopes to receive land and medical assistance for his family.
Acknowledging the size of the challenge, the Afghan government has started allocating land for returnees. Last week, deputy spokesman for the administration Hamdullah Fitrat announced that 42,614 residential plots had been designated nationwide to support resettlement efforts.
Still, demand greatly exceeds the resources available.
Khano, another resident of Omari camp, returned after spending a decade in Pakistan with his wife and two children. In his native Logar province, he found neither a home nor a livelihood waiting for him.
‘We have nowhere to live, and we urgently need support. I am also suffering from health problems,’ he said.
‘We ask the government to allocate land for us and provide a suitable place to settle so that we can start our lives again with dignity and hope.’
For camp officials, the rising influx has highlighted the urgent need for more international assistance.
Mullah Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal, director of Omari refugees’ camp, urged humanitarian agencies, especially UNHCR, IOM and the World Food Programme (WFP), along with business leaders and wealthy citizens, to increase their support.
‘Returning refugees have a rightful claim on all of us,’ he said. ‘Every individual and institution has a moral responsibility to assist them. Unfortunately, many of their basic needs have yet to be adequately addressed.’
Maiwandwal expressed special appreciation to the Chinese government for providing tents, blankets, potable water tankers and other emergency relief supplies.
As the world marks World Refugee Day, the situation facing Afghan returnees underscores the mounting pressure on a country trying to absorb millions of people in a short period of time.
Aid agencies warn that without sustained international assistance, existing support systems may be unable to meet the scale of the challenge.
As evening settles over Omari camp, children move between rows of white tents while their parents consider an uncertain future.
For thousands of Afghan returnees, the journey home may be over, but the struggle to rebuild their lives has only just begun.