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Gulf Today
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Thousands of Afghans flee Iran to escape war
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighbouring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging US aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The UN said on Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Associated Press
20-06-2025
- Politics
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
ISLAMABAD -- Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
San Francisco Chronicle
20-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape war and deportation
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Iran every day to escape deportation and war, a major international aid agency and Taliban official said Friday. Millions of Afghans have called Iran home for decades. But they have been leaving in large numbers since October 2023, when authorities announced a crackdown on foreigners who it said were in the country illegally. Neighboring Pakistan launched a similar campaign around the same time. Iran's war with Israel, which started last Friday, is also forcing them to flee as Israeli strikes target the country. Some 5,000 Afghans are returning daily through the Islam Qala crossing in western Herat province, according to the aid agency World Vision International. There were people 'at risk, distressed, and in great need' among the 500,000 forcibly returned from Iran to Herat this year, the agency said. 'Many require support to find food and shelter, get hold of everyday essentials, and connect with their families before travelling to their hometowns or villages,' said Mark Calder, the agency's communications and advocacy director for Afghanistan. 'But they are returning to a country in which basic services are already in crisis.' Swinging U.S. aid cuts and a shortfall in funding for humanitarian assistance have closed hundreds of health facilities and reduced other essential services like education. The U.N. said Thursday that the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just 18% of its annual funding by June 19, disrupting the delivery of aid to millions, including women and children, returnees, refugees, displaced communities and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. Calder warned that the number needing lifesaving aid could 'spiral further' if the international community did not look to support emergency needs and Afghans' efforts to start over in their homeland. Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of Herat's Refugee Information and Public Affairs Committee, on Friday told The Associated Press that before June 13 between 3,500 and 4,000 Afghans without documentation were entering the province daily because of Iran's deportation drive. This figure has doubled since the outbreak of the war. Between 800 and 1,000 Afghans with passports were arriving in Herat every day before the war. This figure is now around 4,000, Muttaqi added.
The Star
26-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Climate-smart farming ends migration cycle in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH: In the quiet village of Mongkol Borey in Cambodia's north-western Banteay Meanchey province, a family which was once torn apart by the desperation of poverty has found new purpose — not through distant dreams of migration, but right in the soil beneath their feet. For years, Tan Chantrea, 34, and her husband, Sao Channa, 43, were among the thousands of Cambodians who risked everything crossing illegally into Thailand in search of a better life. They left their three children behind with their grandmother, clinging to hope that life as undocumented labourers might provide the income they needed. But after three gruelling years with no real progress and mounting heartache, they came home empty-handed. Worse still, their daughter, once a lively child, began suffering from a debilitating illness. Unable to be apart from their family any longer, they came home to the village. Returning home meant facing the same poverty they had tried to escape. The couple grew vegetables in a small plot to feed themselves but couldn't cover costs or provide for their children's growing needs. That changed in 2022, when World Vision International – Cambodia (WVI-C), with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and World Vision Germany, launched the 'Improving Food and Nutrition Security and Resilience of Vulnerable Farmers' (IFNSR) project. Led by senior project manager Sim Sophal, the IFNSR project is a 30-month initiative designed to fight malnutrition and food insecurity in four districts — Mongkol Borey, Preah Netr Preah, Phnom Srok and Thma Puok, of Banteay Meanchey province — through Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture. 'Our mission has been clear: to improve the food and nutrition security and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable smallholder farmers, especially those with children under five and pregnant or lactating women,' Sophal explained. It supports 900 households with training in climate-resilient farming, poultry rearing and agri-business practices, while distributing essential inputs like seeds, water systems and livestock to ensure sustainability. Sophal said recognising the role of local institutions, the project strengthened nine agricultural cooperatives and set up ten collection points to connect farmers with markets, improving their income potential. For Chantrea's family, the change has been profound. 'When I attended the training, I was drawn to ideas like climate-resistant crops, composting, drip irrigation and using natural pesticides,' she said. 'Most importantly, I learned how to understand the market and grow according to the season,' she added. With support from IFNSR, their home garden has blossomed into a sustainable micro-farm. They've received a greenhouse, dug ponds for irrigation and expanded their growing area. 'Sometimes, my husband and I couldn't sleep—we just sat outside watching our vegetables grow. Under the moonlight, the garden looked so beautiful. We felt proud, like we were watching our dreams slowly come to life,' Chantrea shared, with a laugh. Their once-uncertain future has been replaced by a reliable income and a renewed sense of pride. 'Our livelihoods are better. We no longer want to migrate,' she smiled. 'We have money to support our children's education, buy nutritious food and invest in our farm. We understand what our children need to grow strong and healthy,' she added. The greenhouse, she noted, is a game-changer. 'It's climate-resistant. We can grow vegetables even in the rainy season, without using harmful pesticides,' she explains. Their success hasn't gone unnoticed. Now acting as peer educators, the couple shares knowledge and seeds with other farmers in their community — a ripple effect that underscores the sustainable model championed by IFNSR. Hon Oeun, an officer from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Banteay Meanchey, emphasised how climate change has upended traditional farming. 'Even in the rainy season, there's no rain. Water is scarce. Farmers used to waste what they had, making year-round farming impossible,' he said. Through CSA, he explained, farmers are now equipped to grow crops more efficiently, reduce disease, and maximise limited water resources. 'Nutrition also plays a central role. They're growing a variety of vegetables and raising animals to provide safe, healthy food for their families,' he continued. Sophal added that each of the families who were selected as beneficiaries had at least one child under the age of 5. Since its launch in December 2022, the €892,645 ($1.01 million) IFNSR project has reached nearly 5,000 people — over half of them women — across 73 villages. It has built 23 greenhouses, supplied 246 households with livestock, distributed fruit trees to 82 families and fortified nine agricultural cooperatives. Ten new market collection points help farmers sell their produce, making agriculture not just sustainable — but profitable. 'Empowering communities to manage their own development is at the core of what we do,' said Sophal. 'We're not just teaching techniques; we're building resilience.' He admitted that not all 900 families succeeded in the CSA programme; 31 families dropped out and were unwilling to proceed with the plan. They were replaced by new families. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
