Some 15,000 families displaced by fighting in southern Afghanistan
Summer fighting pitting government and NATO troops against Taliban fighters has forced some 15,000 families - some 80,000-90,000 people - to flee their homes in three southern Afghanistan provinces.
![](/thumb1/452281494.jpg)
People are taking to the roads again to flee fighing in southern Afghanistan. Some 15,000 families, or an estimated 80,000-90,000 people, have left their homes for safety in the past three months. © UNHCR/R.LeMoyne
KABUL, Afghanistan, October 3 (UNHCR) - Fighting pitting government and NATO troops against Taliban combatants has forced some 15,000 families to flee their homes in three southern Afghanistan provinces since July.
UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the refugee agency was concerned about this displacement - amounting to approximately 80,000-90,000 people - in Kandahar, Uruzgan and Helmand. She said it had added "new hardship to a population already hosting 116,400 people earlier uprooted by conflict and drought."
The Taliban have been waging a relentless and costly summer campaign in the south against government troops and forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), with British and Canadian soldiers bearing the brunt of attacks.
The Afghan government has created a Disaster Management Committee in Kandahar to coordinate relief efforts. The committee is working in coordination with the United Nations, led by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
"UNHCR, as part of a joint UN effort, is providing the recently displaced Afghans in the province of Kandahar with non-food items. Together with UNICEF, distribution of jerry cans, plastic sheeting, floor mats, lanterns, family kits and blankets is under way," said Edmond Kamina, a UNHCR official in Kandahar. These have been issued to some 3,200 families in Panjwai and Zhare Dasht districts. World Food Programme is providing food aid.
The government is currently assessing the needs of the displaced in the three southern provinces. "We are working very closely with tribal and IDP [internally displaced people] elders in order to assist the conflict-affected people, but they need more assistance to rebuild their lives," said Rahmatullah Safi of the Afghan Department of Refugees and Repatriation.
"People have lost everything, their vineyards, orchards, schools and clinics. Some assistance has already reached them, but more needs to be done," he said, adding that some 5,000 of the displaced families had received aid.
When the fighting escalated, Haji Abdul Majeed, 48, fled to Kandahar with his family from their home in Panjwai. "I will not return my family from Kandahar city until security has been restored," he said.
Meanwhile, UNHCR has said it is ready to assist when it is clear what is required. "We expect further displacement may take place until conditions are safe for the population to return to their homes," Pagonis said. Some families were reported to have left Kandahar city and returned to Panjwai and Zhare Dasht during daylight, but returned to Kandahar at night for safety reasons. UNHCR has no information on population movements to other districts.
By Mohammad Nader Farhad in Kabul, Afghanistan
Related news and stories
Women-run businesses in Afghanistan dealt a blow by deepening restrictions
UNHCR launches new appeal for Afghan refugees and hosts, urging partners to stay the course
I had to flee for my education, but refused to leave other Afghan girls to their fate
Former refugee, now volunteer teacher, helps other Afghan girls get an education
Families struggle for survival during Afghanistan's coldest winter in a decade
Afghan women affected by Taliban bans on work and study fear for their futures
Your search for « "southern afghanistan" » matched 106 results. Displaying page 11 of 12 pages.
-
UNHCR Global Report 2009 - Afghanistan
1 Jun 2010 ... ... to all returnees. Afghanistan The Office facilitated the return of over 7,000 IDPs from camps in southern Afghanistan, primarily to the relatively stable northern and western areas of the country. ...... -
Feature: Aid drying up in Afghanistan's Spin Boldak region
26 Jun 2002 ... SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, June 26 (UNHCR) - At the height of the US-led bombing campaign in late 2001, hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled their homes seeking safety, relief aid, and to escape ...... -
UNHCR Mid-Year Progress Report 2000 - Afghanistan
1 Sep 2000 ... ... Repatriation from Baluchistan re- mained suspended throughout most of the year due to severe drought in the returnees’ districts of origin in southern Afghanistan. Monitoring and Reintegration UNHCR ...... -
Afghanistan Humanitarian Update No. 63
23 Jul 2002 ... ... So far, only 200 shelters are planned in southern Afghanistan, a region that has absorbed over 110,000 returnees. Short-term shelter needs are met by the distribution of tents and plastic tarpaulin. ...... -
Afghanistan Humanitarian Update No. 67
3 Jan 2003 ... ... North 51,000 South 413,000 Centre 124,000 East 70,000 West 66,000 Estimated total 724,000 Other problems in southern Afghanistan include IDPs encamped at Spin Boldak and a nearby group at Chaman in ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 2002 - Pakistan
1 Jun 2003 ... ... Four key international implementing partners have withdrawn from the Chaman area of Baluchistan for security reasons. Drought has continued to affect Baluchistan, as well as southern Afghanistan and ...... -
47th Meeting of the Standing Committee: Regional Strategic Overview: Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
22 Feb 2010 ... ... to address sudden and unexpected displacements such as those currently occurring in southern Afghanistan. • Most of the Pakistanis affected by the emergency situation in May-June 2009 have ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2001 - Afghanistan
1 Dec 2000 ... ... Initial assis- tance will include repatriation packages and grants, which will be distributed to returnees from Pakistan upon arrival at four locations in eastern and southern Afghanistan. Returnees ...... -
UNHCR Global Report 1999 - Afghanistan
1 Jun 2000 ... ... The training component was implemented through WHO and NGOs. In central and southern Afghanistan, 360 women received medical equipment and training that combined midwifery with traditional birth ......