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In many situations worldwide where rebel or other movements have wrested large areas of territory from the control of central government or, as in the case of Afghanistan, where the government has collapsed and control is divided between different power holders, humanitarian agencies are having to determine how they should relate to non-governmental power holders.

Why did they return? The mass return to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran

In public statements up until 25 June 1999, UNHCR voiced both its concern that refugees should not return prematurely and also its expectation that, despite warning refugees against an early return, the refugee camps in Macedonia would empty very quickly. The speed of the return over the following days confirmed UNHCR’s expectations and gave the impression of an undifferentiated mass response to NATO’s entry intoKosovo. The reality on the ground, however, has turned out to be quite different.