Return of Afghans hinges on peace

As peace returns to much of the country, thousands of Afghans made the journey home last month from neighbouring countries. UNHCR estimates almost 130,000 Afghans returned to their country in January from Pakistan and Iran, the two largest host nations of Afghan refugees.

"Peace is the overriding factor in their motivation to return," UNHCR spokeswoman, Melita Sunjic told IRIN in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Monday. Regarding recent incidents of factional fighting in eastern Afghanistan, she said: "If such fighting is repeated, refugees will undoubtedly delay their return". According to Sunjic, over 107,000 Afghans from Pakistan returned in January, including 73,117 from the southern province of Baluchistan, with the rest being from Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Meanwhile, UNHCR officials in Iran told IRIN almost 20,000 Afghans made the journey back over the same period. "As many as 19,433 Afghans returned to their homeland through the Dogharoun crossing and 176 through the one at Milak," UNHCR spokesperson, Mohammad Nouri said from the Iranian capital Tehran. This is the highest number of spontaneous returnees in one month from Iran, bringing to almost 94,000 the number of Afghans that have left the country since 11 September.

Commenting on the composition of the returnees, Nouri maintained that 90 percent of the returnees were young men, between the ages of 18 and 25. Increasingly, many Afghans are finding it difficult to get seasonal work in Iran. Additionally, many heads of household are making the journey alone to check on conditions inside Afghanistan. "They want to check if it is conducive to bring back their families," he explained. Colder weather conditions were also affecting the composition, he added.

As for future Afghan repatriation from Iran, Nouri maintained that security inside the country was still worrying and UNHCR did not feel it was right to encourage people to return. "Those who are returning are doing so of their own free will," he maintained, adding any formalised repatriation programme would have to emphasise the dignity of the returnees and their voluntary desire to return. "This can only be done if the situation is conducive inside the country," he said. "I hope by early April there is greater security and stability inside the country," he maintained.

The UN estimates there are 2.3 million Afghan refugees in Iran and another two million in neighbouring Pakistan.