By: Sebghatullah Alam, Field Officer at Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO)
Nimroz, Summer 2025 – In the heart of the parched and scorched deserts of Nimroz, where the sun blazes with merciless cruelty and temperatures above 45°C devour every drop of moisture, a human tragedy is unfolding in silence and obscurity. Thousands of Afghan migrants who had lived in Iran for years have been forcibly deported and returned through the Milak border crossing to Nimroz province. Now, though they are back in their homeland, they are left without shelter, without bread, without water — and without a future.
This report was prepared by Sebghatullah Alam, Field Officer at Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO), during a field mission to assess deported migrants at the Iran border in Nimroz province.
Among the burning sands of Nimroz, cries and moans can be heard from mothers who not only have no roof over their heads but also cannot provide even a sip of cool water for their children. Emaciated children, with parched throats and cracked lips, search in vain for a trace of shade. Some collapse from the intense heat and dehydration, while others, with hollow and hungry eyes, just stare — without tears, without sound.
The homes and lives they had painstakingly built in Iran vanished in an instant. Rental deposits still held by landlords, household belongings that were the family’s only possessions — all left behind. They have returned empty-handed to a land that, while their homeland, now cannot even meet their most basic needs.
In the makeshift camps — more resembling wastelands than human settlements — there are no tents and no shade. Even drinking water and bread are hard to find. Local authorities, due to a lack of resources, are unable to provide widespread assistance, and international organizations are either absent or unable to adequately respond.
Single and widowed women, with infants in their arms, stand under the burning sun, staring into an uncertain future. Young girls who once dreamed of school, university, and a bright future are now emptied of hope among the scorching sands. Youth with no work and nowhere to go are trapped in despair and depression.
In a brief conversation with one returning mother, her voice choked with emotion, she said:
“Everything we had was left in Iran — even the photos of my children. They threw us out like criminals. Now here, there isn’t even a shadow where I can lay my baby to rest.”
This crisis is not just a human tragedy, but a warning to the international community, humanitarian organizations, the Afghan government, and human rights institutions: these people — our compatriots — now need help more than ever.
Silence is a betrayal of humanity.
