UN Warns Afghanistan Lacks Capacity to Absorb Mass Deportations

DID Press: UN Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that Afghanistan, in its current economic and humanitarian condition, lacks the capacity to receive and reintegrate large numbers of migrants being deported from Europe — a concern that is growing amid mounting pressure from some European governments to return rejected Afghan asylum seekers.

Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP’s Regional Director, said field assessments clearly show that mass returns are “not feasible,” noting that Afghanistan’s severely constrained economy and the sharp reduction in international aid have made the reintegration of returnees exceedingly difficult.

UNDP estimates that roughly 4.5 million Afghan migrants are currently in potential return pathways, either through forced deportations or voluntary repatriation — a figure that, according to the agency, far exceeds the country’s absorption capacity.