In 1998, Tajikistan hosted 5,500 refugees and asylum seekers of various nationalities. Of these, some 3,600 – all but a handful from Afghanistan – were government-recognized refugees. About 1,900, also virtually all Afghans, were asylum seekers. During the year, nearly 3,800 Tajiks repatriated from neighboring countries. The returnees included 2,500 from Turkmenistan, 1,150 from Kyrgyzstan, and 100 from Afghanistan.

The Tajik National Reconciliation Commission's subcommittee on refugees helped returnees recover their land and houses. UNHCR provided each returnee $20 cash assistance, food rations for four months, and plastic sheets, blankets, and other non-food items. It also helped rehabilitate schools and health centers. An estimated 75 percent of the returnees were women and children. UNHCR offered female-headed households loans to help them become economically self-sufficient.

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