In brief
As of late October 2026, the International Organization for Migration reports that over 1.3 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, and the influx is overwhelming local communities already stretched thin. The IOM urges donors to close an $8.8 million funding gap to provide emergency shelter, winter kits, and essential household items before severe weather isolates vulnerable groups.
In the shadow of a harsh winter that threatens to isolate remote villages, more than 1.3 million Afghan citizens have crossed back from neighboring Iran and Pakistan and returned to communities in Afghanistan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Friday.
The returnees are not simply families moving home; they are adding pressure to infrastructure that has been in decline for years, with fewer houses and public utilities available to accommodate the sudden surge. Rural schools have long been overcrowded, and health clinics are already stretched beyond capacity, experts say. The pattern of returning refugees is reshaping the civic landscape, with local councils scrambling to keep streets and shelters serviceable amid resource constraints.
Mihyung Park, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Afghanistan, addressed the situation amid expert interviews. He highlighted the speed of the process and the stakes for community cohesion:
Families are returning to communities where housing and basic services are already under severe strain. Winter is now adding another urgent need.
Park, speaking in the streets of Kabul, underscored that inadequate shelters could quickly become dangerous as temperatures plunge.
Mihyung Park
While most of the new population is returned refugees who left voluntarily, some are the result of the Afghan government’s new resettlement policy, designed to bring citizens home who were previously displaced by security concerns. The policy, however, was rolled out without accompanying a proportional increase in city planning or disability services, casting doubt on the administration’s capacity to manage civic responsibilities amid mass mobilization.
The organization’s data show that communities along the Ghorghadi and Helmand provinces are hitting the limits of their water reserves, while temporary tents that have been erected to house the newest arrivals risk flooding if snow drifts accumulate. Local councils speak of the cost of maintaining light and sanitation water as being beyond the budgetary envelope for several municipalities.
In a further sign of institutional strain, municipal health workers reported increased cases of cold-related illnesses in the past weeks, straining clinics that have a fixed emergency capacity. Some health centers have had to ration oxygen and antipyretic medication, with officials citing a 25% rise in demand since the wave of arrivals began.
The IOM’s call for an $8.8 million inter‑agency funding gap has been met with a mix of political backing and reservation. The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs flagged the request as a legitimate need for international cooperation, while the Finance Ministry stressed the need for transparency and accountability of the used funds in a recent press briefing.
The organization highlighted the urgency with the winter approaching:
We need funding now to help families find shelter and keep warm before snow cuts access to remote areas.
And
Mihyung Park
Many Afghan communities anticipate that the heavy snowfall will sever roads, leaving the nearest health posts 24 hours away for residents. For builders, the absence of residents in lower estates will complicate new housing regulation compliance, making it difficult to plan the next phase of reconstruction projects.
In the face of these challenges, the IOM species, the 8.8 million United States dollars is vital for the delivery of emergency shelter, winter‑ization kits, and essential household items. The gap in funding reflects a larger civic question: how Afghanistan’s government, donors, and civil society will come together to ensure that basic service infrastructure is not left in a fragile state when disaster strikes.
Urgent Funding Gap Threatens Basic Services
The funding request is framed by IOM as an “inter‑agency” effort, that needs the participation of Afghan governmental agencies alongside international donors. This proposal underscores the fragility of public accountability structures needed to allocate and audit emergency assistance. In a statement, the grant coordinator emphasized that the packaging of funds under donor, national, and organizational lines would need to preserve transparency and public trust.
Furthermore, the return of more than a million Afghans is likely to influence future elections, especially in the Central Helmand and Kunar provinces where living conditions affect voter turnout. Historically, communities hit by crises have shown increased skepticism toward state institutions, which could affect the civic engagement of voters. Addressing the crisis without clear solutions to basic services or infrastructure will only deepen doubts about the promises of local governments.
The crisis also re‑centers legal discussions about occupational and housing rights. Many of the new arrivals are entitled to local citizenship rights but do not have the immediate legal framework to secure property or housing infrastructure assistance. This raises a question over the Afghan constitution’s guarantee of the right to adequate housing and adequate public services, especially where inadequate municipal governance history has left a breach between citizen expectations and delivered civic responsibilities.
As the IOM appeals to international donors, the situation underscores the civic stakes of inter‑agency cooperation, local planning, electoral participation, and public accountability. Failure to address the immediate needs could lead to long‑term erosion of civil trust and civil infrastructure in the affected regions.
