Afghanistan - Flow Monitoring Quarterly Report 2 (April - June 2024) [ENG]

Frequent movement at the borders with the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan have been influenced by a variety of factors over the past few decades. Afghan nationals not only seek economic opportunities, international protection and safety in these countries, but often visit family or participate in short-term travel for health and other reasons1. Recently, policies and statements by officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan have impacted movements to and from Afghanistan. In late 2023, officials in both countries called for the expulsion of undocumented foreigners, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals, which led to spikes in returnee numbers towards the end of the year. Later, in mid-April this year, inflows rose again when a possible second phase of Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP)” was announced in media reports. While the government of Pakistan did not end up implementing this second phase in mid-April, there were new announcements for restarts at the end of June. In response, discussions and high-level advocacy are currently taking place regarding the extension of documentation for Afghan nationals in Pakistan. The timeline of this report covers the initial media reports of the second phase restart until the official announcement. 

IOM Afghanistan re-launched its DTM Flow Monitoring (FM) activity at the beginning of 2024 to provide critical insights into current mobility dynamics at Afghanistan’s borders. Flow Monitoring is designed to track the scale and characteristics of human mobility along the borders, including volume, intended destinations, reasons for movement, and intended lengths of stay. From April to the end of June 2024, DTM counted 858,170 individuals entering Afghanistan, 532,854 leaving Afghanistan, and interviewed 81,292 regarding their reasons for movement and intentions. The following report provides findings from DTM’s Flow Monitoring exercises for the second quarter of 2024, examining trends and profiles among inflow and outflow groups to inform better targeted response mechanisms. DTM was able to expand Flow Monitoring to five more crossing points in this quarter compared to last quarter. Operations at new crossing points were started at various times throughout the reporting period, which include Abu Nasr Farahi, Dak, Bahramcha, Angor Ada, and Pathan. As a result the total flows figures in this report do not necessarily represent the total flows at these crossing points for the entirety of the reporting period. Additionally, all assessed border points fall into two categories: those connected to the National Highway, or “main” crossing points, which include Islam Qala, Milak, Spin Boldak, and Torkham, and those not connected to the National Highway, which include the five new border points and Ghulam Khan. Analyses throughout the report will reflect the differences between these types of crossing points. 

The report is structured in four sections. The first section, “Cumulative Flow Trends,” is linked to DTM’s Flow Monitoring Counting exercise. The remaining three sections are linked to DTM’s Flow Monitoring Surveys exercise.