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More than 361,000 Afghan refugees return: UN
Kabul, Aug 03: More than 361,000 Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan and Iran so far this year despite continuing security problems, the United Nations refugee agency said today.
Kabul, Aug 03: More than 361,000 Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan and Iran so far this year despite continuing security problems, the United Nations refugee agency said today.
"UNHCR has assisted more than 311,000 afghan refugees to return home this year in convoys from Pakistan and Iran," the refugee agency's Mohammad Nader Farhad said in a statement.
More than 50,000 others had made their own way home from Iran.
"Despite ongoing security problems in parts of the country and tremendous development and economic needs, Afghan refugees are still going back in significant numbers," he said.
Since the start of may an average of more than 20,000 refugees have returned home each week assisted by the UN and Afghan government.
This year's returns, however, are well below those last year when more than 1.8 million refugees returned home with UN assistance, with more than 20,000 people a day returning in may 2002. Others made their own way home.
Amnesty International in June warned that the "deteriorating" security situation in Afghanistan was not conducive to promoting voluntary repatriation of refugees.
"The security situation across Afghanistan has steadily deteriorated in 2003, and cannot be said to have fundamentally, durably and effectively changed," the international human rights watchdog said.
"It is therefore unlikely that repatriation can be promoted in the foreseeable future."
Bureau Report
More than 50,000 others had made their own way home from Iran.
"Despite ongoing security problems in parts of the country and tremendous development and economic needs, Afghan refugees are still going back in significant numbers," he said.
Since the start of may an average of more than 20,000 refugees have returned home each week assisted by the UN and Afghan government.
This year's returns, however, are well below those last year when more than 1.8 million refugees returned home with UN assistance, with more than 20,000 people a day returning in may 2002. Others made their own way home.
Amnesty International in June warned that the "deteriorating" security situation in Afghanistan was not conducive to promoting voluntary repatriation of refugees.
"The security situation across Afghanistan has steadily deteriorated in 2003, and cannot be said to have fundamentally, durably and effectively changed," the international human rights watchdog said.
"It is therefore unlikely that repatriation can be promoted in the foreseeable future."
Bureau Report