Exile ends, new struggle begins for Afghan returnees

TORKHAM, Afghanistan, June 20 — For millions of Afghans returning home after years or even decades abroad, the end of exile has marked the beginning of a new struggle.

Faced with shortages of shelter, jobs and basic services, and with limited support for reintegration, many returnees are finding it difficult to rebuild their lives in a country already grappling with economic hardship, natural disasters and a prolonged humanitarian crisis.

At Omari refugees’ camp, located just a few hundred meters from the main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in eastern Nangarhar province, humanitarian workers labor around the clock to help ease the first shock of return.

The camp, which contains 1,200 tents provided with support from the Chinese government, the UN refugee agency UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations, offers temporary shelter to vulnerable families arriving from across the border.

Among them is Zakirullah, a father who spent more than two decades in Pakistan before returning with his six children, all of whom were born and raised there.