January 11, 2008

 

Overview

 

US considers 3,000 additional troops for Afghanistan

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is reportedly considering a proposal to send some 3,000 additional US troops to insurgency-torn Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Geoff Morrell, a spokesman for the Pentagon, told the media that the proposal recommended by the top US commander in Afghanistan, General Dan McNeill, had gone through the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was scheduled to go before Gates on Friday (January 11). He said the proposal calls for the deployment of a marine-air-ground task force with helicopters and some 2,200 combat troops by April in anticipation of a spring offensive by Taliban insurgents. Morrell said, "The commanders need more forces there. Our allies are not in the position to provide them. So we are now looking at perhaps carrying a bit of that additional load." He said although a final decision by Gates is not expected on Friday, "The timing is that they [troops] would be in place by April for a one-time seven-month deployment." There are currently 26,000 US troops in Afghanistan under the NATO-led mission in that country. NATO commanders have long complained about inadequacy of resources, including 7,500 additional troops that NATO nations pledged but never contributed despite a surge in violence over the past two years. Afghan officials have welcomed US plans to send additional troops, saying that an increase in troops is necessary and will help in anti-insurgency operations as the new national army continues to grow. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has also welcomed US plans to send additional troops, but was quick to point out that a number of European allies had also added troops in Afghanistan in recent months. He told reporters in the Belgian capital, Brussels, that other NATO allies were also doing their share, but added that they could certainly do more in Afghanistan. De Hoop Scheffer also stressed that the ultimate solution for Afghanistan is not pouring in tens of thousands of forces, but a long-term commitment to reconstruction and development in that country.

 

Heavy snowfall leaves more than 30 dead and hundreds stranded in western Afghanistan

More than 30 people have reportedly been killed and hundreds of others are stranded or missing following heavy snowfall across Afghanistan. According to a provincial Afghan Red Crescent official, eight members of a family were killed when their mud-brick house collapsed under the weight of snow in western Herat province late Monday (January 7) or early Tuesday (January 8). He said eight other people, including six shepherds, were also killed elsewhere in the province. In neighboring Ghor province, three people were killed when an avalanche buried their home. More than 250 policemen escorting a UN food convoy have also been stranded by heavy snow and at least 16 civilians are reportedly missing. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) declared a "state of alert" on Tuesday, alerting all 34 provinces across the country. Mohammad Amin Fatimi, Minister of Public Health, told the UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) that MoPH will be working to alleviate the plight of those affected. He also called upon the UN and other aid agencies to provide support and assistance to the government and the affected communities. Heavy snowfall since January 4 has blocked roads between Kabul, Khost and Paktia provinces to the southeast. Roads from provincial capitals in northern Badakhshan, Daykundi, Bamiyan, Ghor and Logar provinces have also been blocked due to heavy snow. Access to several districts in the western provinces of Herat, Badghis and Faryab has also been cut.

 

Food shortages loom in Afghanistan

Afghan officials are warning of an impending food crisis amid a short supply of basic food items and surging commodity prices. According to Afghan Commerce Minister Mohammad Amin Farhang, the rising cost of wheat and other basic foods could lead to serious problems during the winter. He said the price of bread had already quadrupled in some areas and urged the international community to provide urgent food aid to deal with the acute food shortages. Speaking to the German newspaper Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung, Farhang said, "The situation is serious" and could possibly trigger a famine this winter. Farhang said rising commodity prices on the international market and lower supplies of commodities imported from Pakistan, due to political turmoil in that country coupled with the insecurity inside Afghanistan affecting the transportation of food, was making the situation worse. He said many areas in the south and northeast were especially vulnerable due to persistent insecurity or the inaccessibility of the areas because of heavy winter snow. The government of President Hamid Karzai is reportedly under fire for not stockpiling adequate supplies of grain. In an attempt to alleviate some pressure on food prices, the Afghan government last week cancelled duties on imported grain and reduced taxes on imported cooking oil until the end of the Afghan year ending in March. Despite these actions, the situation remains serious as many people across the country won't be able to afford the surging prices of food.


Movement

 

2007: UNHCR temporarily suspends the Afghan voluntary repatriation campaign in Pakistan until March 2008 due to seasonal slowdown. (IRIN, Nov-2). Pakistan has reportedly extended the deadline to close Jalozai camp until March 2008. (IRIN, Sep-4). The UNHCR has asked Pakistan to temporarily suspend closure of Jalozai refugee camp in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) that was originally scheduled to be closed on August 31. UNHCR said due to the fast approaching Muslim holy month of Ramadan and winter season, conditions were not conducive for the return of some 100,000 camp residents. UNHCR said any forceful return of these refugees could lead to secondary displacement.

 

Pakistan is to close all Afghan refugee camps by December 2009 and to repatriate all refugees living in the country. UNHCR says it has repatriated over 306,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan so far this year under its voluntary repatriation campaign. (UNHCR, Aug-10)

 

4.2 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan, and 500,000 IDPs returned home since early 2002. Close to 3 million of the refugees returned from Pakistan. 2.6 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, including one million in 74 long-term camps. About 1.5 million Afghans returned from Iran. Taking into account unassisted returns, perhaps 600,000 to 700,000 Afghans remain in Iran—up to 30,000 are in seven camps.

 

Iran deported some 85,000 unregistered refugees to Afghanistan during April 21 - May 14, 2007. Iranian officials say they plan to initially send back 500,000 of over a million illegal refugees in the country. Earlier this week, Iran said it has reached an agreement with the Afghan government to slow down the pace of expulsions for illegal Afghans living in the country.

 

Some 200,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan have returned to their homes under the UN-assisted voluntary Afghan refugee repatriation program since it resumed on March 1, 2007, following a seasonal winter suspension. Pakistani authorities said voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan that are without proof of registration (PoR) ended in April, and refugees remaining in the country without PoR are now considered illegal and subject to government action. Repatriation campaign for Afghan refugees with PoR.

 

2006: UNHCR expects to assist 550,000 returnees—400,000 from Pakistan and 150,000 from Iran. However, so far this year only some 60,000 Afghan refugees have repatriated from Pakistan. Unassisted returns are a factor from Pakistan and have been a major contributor to returns from Iran. The tripartite arrangement among UNHCR-Afghanistan-Pakistan is good through 2006. The UNHCR-Afghanistan-Iran Joint Program has been extended into 2007. Repatriation from Pakistan, halted for the winter, recommenced on March 1. UNHCR assisted nearly 9,000 refugees in returning from Pakistan and over 500 from Iran during March. In April 2006, Pakistan closed two long-term camps in NWFP, and two in Baluchistan Province with 250,000 long-term residents. Refugees in Baluchistan can either return to Afghanistan or relocate to Mohammad Kheil camp near Quetta. Refugees in NWFP are moving to Afghanistan or one of ten camps in NWFP—refugees are pushing for a one-year delay.

 

2005 plans called for 400,000 Afghan refugees to return home from Pakistan and 200,000 from Iran, down from an earlier 350,000 estimated from Iran. 453,000 returned from Pakistan. 67,000 from Iran were assisted and over 210,000 returned on their own to Iran for a total of nearly 280,000, and a combined Pakistan and Iran total of 733,000—close to the original projection.

 

2004 plans were for one million to return. Actual returnees were around 850,000, with 385,000 from Pakistan and 460,000 from Iran, including 80,000 spontaneous returns. Pakistan closed camps in South Waziristan and all new camps, with remaining new refugees going to Mohamed Kheil camp in Baluchistan Province.

Emphasis in 2003 was on repatriation from old camps and cities in Pakistan to rural areas in Afghanistan. 70% of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30% from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10% went to other central provinces, and just over 20% returned to each of the north and east. The Southern region received 6% and the Western region 4%. The 2003 peak months were June and July.

 

In 2002 over 2.3 million Afghan refugees returned with 2 million assisted by UNHCR. UNHCR repatriated 1.53 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan, including 125,000 from Baluchistan and 1.4 million from the North West Frontier Province. 82% were from urban areas; only 3% were from new camps. 265,000 refugees were assisted in returning from Iran; and 10,000 refugees from the central Asian republics.

 

 

Afghanistan Relief Efforts: United Nations Coordination Regions

 

 

Central Region

Location

Central Region

 
Coordination

 

 

Population

An avalanche in the Murgab area in central Ghor killed at least 16

people. On March 19 floods killed 30 people in Uruzgan

province.

 

IDP Movement

 

 

Food

On December 26 a landslide had blocked access to Kehmard district in Bamiyan province, leaving an estimated 40,000 vulnerable to food shortages as prices of food rose sharply. (IRIN, Dec-27)

 

A rapid food needs assessment by USAID’s Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) suggests that due to failed wheat crops, unfavorable weather and higher food prices, Ghor province would need in the short-term (December-April) some 14,231 metric tons of food assistance to feed its vulnerable population. (ReliefWeb, Oct-18)

 

According to local officials, thousands of students attending 40 schools in Ghazni province have not received WFP food assistance for over a month due to insecurity. FAO on July 5 said that 6.5 million Afghans suffer from chronic food insecurity. (IRIN, July-8)

 

Health

UN agencies and the local provincial government raise funds to build a new maternity wing in the Bamiyan main hospital. The new facility is expected to provide essential healthcare for expectant mothers in central Bamiyan province and to reduce the risk of both maternal and child mortality. (UNAMA, July-17).

 

At least 20 children have died in several districts of central Daikundi and northern Balkh provinces over the past five weeks due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-12)

 

Typhoid fever has claimed five lives and infected some 200 others in the Charsada district of central Ghor province. (People’s Daily Online, Feb-15)

 

NFIs -Shelter

 

IOM, UNICEF, UNOCHA, & OXFAM

 

Water & Sanitation

 

UNICEF

 

Security

Two civilians were killed and five others wounded in a clash between NATO troops and Taliban insurgents in the provincial capital, Tirin Kot, in Uruzgan province on January 4. (ABC, Jan-7)

 

Four Afghan policemen were killed in a landmine explosion on December 30 in Uruzgan province. (ABC, KT, Jan-1)

 

A family of five on a motor bike was killed near Uruzgan province’s capital, Tirin Kot, on December 16 when the motor bike ran over a freshly planted landmine, killing the husband, wife and their three children. (HT, Xinhua, Dec-17)

 

Comments

 

 

 

East Central Region

 

Location

East Central Region

Coordination

UNHCR

Population

 

IDP Movement

UN; Government encouraging refugees to return to home provinces to limit burden on Kabul—government land distribution program only in province of origin;

Food

ISAF troops carried out a two-day food donation near the village of Gulbagh in Chahar Asiab district, (NATO, Feb-11)

 

IRC, Action Contra la Faim; WFP

 

Health

President Karzai helped inaugurate the new hospital of the National Department of Security on September 14. (GOA, Sep-14)

 

More than 10,000 people, mostly children, have been affected by diarrhea in flood-stricken provinces across the country, including Kabul. (IRIN, July-12)

 

Kabul is home to the world’s worst outbreak of leishmaniasis, thought to have spread to hundreds of thousands of people. The sandflies that spread the parasites causing the disease are present in all Afghan cities, but more prominently in poor, crowded areas where they breed on waste land and in trash. (Reuters, May-7)

 

UNICEF, CARITAS, MSF, IFRC, IRC, ICRC

 

Non-Food Items - Shelter

 

UNHCR, ACTED, MSF, IRC, ICRC, IOM

Security

Eight children were wounded in the capital, Kabul, on December 24 when a rocket shell they were playing with exploded. (KT, TNI, Dec-24)

 

Afghan security forces gunned down an unarmed civilian near the Kabul airport after mistaking him for a suicide bomber on December 17. (Xinhua, KT, Dec-17)

 

Five civilians were killed and nine others wounded in two separate attacks, including a suicide car bomb attack in Kabul on December 15. (KT, Reliefweb, Dec-17)

 

Water & Sanitation

An agreement has been signed between the UNHCR and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) to provide safe drinking water for Afghan returnees from Pakistan and Iran, as well as IDPs. (UNHCR, Sep. 24)

 

ICRC

Comments

The Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (MAPA) says it has completed demining the community of Karte Sakhi in Kabul. (UNAMA, Sep-15)

 

 

 
Eastern Region

 

Location

Eastern Region

Coordination

UNHCR, International Islamic Relief Organization;

Population

 

IDP Movement

UNHCR

Food

IRC

NATO-led ISAF PRT transported water pipes for a nearly seven-mile-long planned water supply project in Baghlan province. (NATO, Aug-23)

 

Health

Provincial officials in southern Khost, Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar provinces have confirmed hundreds of diarrhea cases due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-11)

 

FAO confirmed cases of the H5N1 subtype of avian influenza (bird flu) virus in poultry in the eastern city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province and in Sawki district in Kunar province. (FAO, Feb-26)

Non-Food Items - Shelter

 

CWS, UNICEF

 

Security

One policeman was killed and three others wounded when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Wata Pur district in Kunar province on December 23. (KT, CNN, Dec-24)

 

Afghan security forces killed a Taliban commander and his bodyguard in a clash in Gelan district in Kunar province on December 23. (KT, CNN, Dec-24)

 

Afghan authorities arrested a 55-year-old female carrying an explosives belt near Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province on December 24. (KT, Dec-24)

 

Two children were killed in an accidental blast in Bati Kot district in eastern Nangarhar province on December 20 when an explosive device they brought into their home exploded. (TNI, Dec-21)

 

Water & Sanitation

CARITAS; ICRC, UNICEF

Comments

 

 

Northeastern Region

 

Location

Northeastern Region

Coordination

 

 

Population

 

9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast

Movement IDPs

 

 

Food

On December 27, heavy snowfall had blocked access to at least 10 districts in Badakhshan province, leaving some 200,000 people in need of food assistance. (IRIN, Dec-27)

Health

WHO, Merlin, UNICEF, MSF; ICRC

 

Non-Food Items (NFIs) -Shelter

 

UNICEF, ACTED, Refugees Int’l, Mercy Corps

 

Security

Taliban insurgents ambushed and killed two Afghan policemen and abducted a police commander in Nuristan province. (BBC, Oct-7)

 

Twelve people, including five government employees and seven policemen, were killed on September 23 when unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle as it traveled through northeastern Badakhshan province. (CNN, Sep-24)

 

Water & Sanitation

 

Comments

At least 13 people were killed in an avalanche in Baharak district in northeastern Badakhshan province on December 11. Fifteen others were rescued. (IRIN, Dec-12)

 
Northern Region

 

Location
Northern Region

Coordination

UNHCR, IOM

Population

9,000 active IDPs in North and Northeast; 60,000 IDPs from North elsewhere in country.

Movement IDPs

IOM

Food

 

Health

MSF, ICRC, UNICEF

 

At least 20 children have died in several districts of northern Balkh and central Daikundi provinces over the past five weeks due to water contamination from floods. (IRIN, July-12)

NFIs –Shelter

IOM, ACTED, Mercy Corps

 

Security

More than 65 people, including six members of Afghanistan’s lower house of the parliament and 59 schoolchildren, were killed and more than 100 others wounded in a suicide bomb attack near a sugar factory in northern Baghlan province on November 6. (ABC, BBC, Reuters, Nov 6-8)

 

Four people, including a district police chief, his brother and two other policemen, were killed in a roadside bomb blast in northern Baghlan province on September 24. (The News, Sep-25)

Water & Sanitation

UNICEF, ICRC, DACAAR

Comments

ISAF PRT helps flood-affected families in Khamyab and Qarqin districts in Jowzjan province at the request of provincial authorities. (Frontier Post, Aug-12)

 

 

Southern Region

 

Location

Southern Region

Coordination

UNHCR

 

Population

IFRC says that flash floods and avalanches in early March have affected 2,200 families in Helmand/Sangreen Grishk, Musa Qala, and Nowzad districts; and 400 families in Uruzgan/Dehraud district. (IFRC, Mar-23).

Movement of IDPs

Intense military operations against Afghan insurgents in southern Helmand province, especially in Musa Qala district, have caused hundreds of families to flee their homes to neighboring districts and the provincial capital, Lashkargah. (IRIN, Dec-6)

 

UNOCHA reports that over 2,500 families have left their homes in different districts of Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces over the past two months, according to provincial officials. Many of the displaced say they are leaving because of forced recruitment attempts by the Taliban and air strikes by international forces. Many have sought shelter in Kandahar city. (UNOCHA, Sep-27)

 

In Uruzgan province, 880 families affected by conflict in Chora district have been settled in Tirin Kot and Dehrawud districts with the help of UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and UNICEF. (ReliefWeb, July-30)

 

About 2,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled their homes in several parts of Helmand province due to heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and NATO-led forces. (IRIN, July-9)

Food

WFP says it could not deliver 50 tons of mixed food to Geeti district in Daykundi province due to security concerns. WFP plans to deliver food as soon as safe passage is guaranteed. (IRIN, Nov-14)

 

The World Food Program (WFP) delivered 500 metric tons of food to the provincial capital Lashkargah, in southern Helmand province for some 4,500 families affected by fighting in Musa Qala, Sangin, Kajakiand Nawzad districts. (ReliefWeb, Sep-3)

 

WFP also distributed 300 tons of food to some 37,000 beneficiaries in Kandahar and Helmand under food-for-work and literacy programs. (ReliefWeb, Sep-3)

 

UNICEF; Mercy Corps; CARITAS; WFP

 

Health

A UNICEF-led Polio vaccination campaign was suspended in Musa Qala due to military operations. The campaign was also suspended in parts of five other districts. (ReliefWeb, Dec-20)

Afghan and US-led coalition forces treated some 700 Afghans during a two-day outreach operation in Kandahar on December 7 and 8. (Reliefweb, Dec-12)

The Australian Reconstruction Task Force (RTF), part of the Dutch-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Regional Command South, has completed the redevelopment of the Tarin Kowt Hospital and the construction of the Yaklengah Comprehensive Health Clinic. (NATO, Sep-17)

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) signed a memorandum of understanding under which the ICRC will significantly increase its support for the 390-bed regional referral Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar for the next two years. The hospital formerly run by Italian NGO Emergency provides essential care for thousands of patients, including men, women and children wounded in hostilities in the neighboring provinces of Zabul, Helmand and Uruzgan. (ICRC, July-26)

NFIs - Shelter

UNHCR, Mercy Corps

 

Security

One Afghan policeman was killed and four others wounded when a suicide bomber struck their vehicle in the border town of Spin Boldak in southern Kandahar province on Monday (January 7). (ABC, Jan-7)

 

Two policemen and two civilians were killed and four others wounded Monday in a failed attempt to defuse a roadside remote-controlled bomb in Nad Ali district in Helmand province. (ABC, Jan-7)

 

On Sunday (January 6) three Taliban militants were killed in a clash with Afghan and NATO troops in Kandahar’s Zhari district. (ABC, Jan-7)

 

Taliban militants killed an Afghan soldier and wound another in an ambush in southern Helmand province. (ABC, KT, Jan-2)

 

Water & Sanitation

UNICEF

Comments

Some 2,500 families (roughly 13,000 people) who fled ongoing violence in Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar are staying around Kandahar city in urgent need of temporary shelter. (IRIN, Oct-3)

 

UNICEF estimates some 262 of the 740 schools in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul are currently unable to provide education. (UNNS, July-30)

 

 

 

Southern Region IDP camps

 

Location

Zhare Dasht - South of Kandahar – 6 camps

Type

IDP Camp

Coordination

UNHCR

Camp Capacity

30,000; expandable to 60,000

 

Population

 

125,000 IDPs in south; 48,500 at Zhare Dasht

 

Movement IDP

 

Food

WFP

Health

UNICEF, MSF

 

NFIs – Shelter

 

Security

 

Water & Sanitation

UNICEF

Comments

Support for Spin Boldak camps terminated in 2004.

 

 

Western Region

 

Location

Western Region

Coordination

UNHCR; ICMC

Population

According to the IFRC, flash floods and avalanches in early March affected some 200 families in Herat city; 918 families in Gulran district; 35 families in Cheshte Sharif district; 150 families in Shindand district, 6,500 families in Badghis/Jawand and Murghab districts, and 20 families in Gour district. (IFRC, Mar-23)

 

12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp

Movement IDPs

IOM

Food

IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP

 

Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR) is providing safe drinking water to the drought-affected western Afghan provinces of Farah and Herat. Some 7,000 families, or 42,000 individuals, will be provided safe water and hygiene training. (DACAAR, Aug-22)

 

WFP said July 11 that it has resumed some food deliveries along the southern ring road, allowing it to deliver food to the western region. Normal operations moving 1,500 to 1,200 tons of food each week are planned. In late May, WFP suspended some of its deliveries to parts of southern, eastern and western Afghanistan due to insecurity. (WFP, July-11)

Health

Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), with the help of US-led coalition forces, carried out a Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) in Shewan, western Farah province on August 30 and treated more than 811 people, including 576 women and children. (USG, Sep-2)

 

Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter

UNHCR, Iranian Red Crescent, UNICEF, IOM,

Ockenden Int’l, MSF, IMC

Security

Six Afghan policemen and an Indian engineer were killed and 10 others wounded in a suicide attack in southwestern Nimroz province on Thursday (Jan-3). (KT, BBC, ABC, Jan-3)

 

A German national married to an Afghan female was abducted by unidentified armed assailants on December 16 in western Herat province. Authorities have arrested four of his wife’s relatives on suspicion of their involvement in the abduction. (BBC, AFP, Dec-20)

Water & Sanitation

UNICEF

Comments

Eight members of a family were killed when their mud-brick house collapsed under the weight of snow in western Herat province on Tuesday (January 8). Eight people, including six shepherds, were killed elsewhere in Herat. (Reliefweb, TNI, Jan-8)

 

In Ghor province, three people were killed when an avalanche buried their home on Tuesday. (Reliefweb, TNI, Jan-8)

 

 

 

 

Refugee Camps in Pakistan

 

Location

Long-term camps in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), NWFP, Baluchistan Province, and by capital, Islamabad; Mohamed Kheil 1 & 2 camps (85 km southwest of Quetta)

Type

Refugee Camps

 

Coordination

Afghanistan, Pakistan and UNHCR on August 2 extended the tripartite agreement governing the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghans from Pakistan through December 2009. The agreement provides a legal and operational framework for the process. To date, more than 3 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan under the voluntary repatriation program since 2002. This year, more than 300,000 Afghans have returned. (UNHCR, GOP, Aug-2)

 

The Kacha Garhi Afghan refugee camp was officially closed on July 26. Kacha Garhi, set up in 1980 and located in Hayatabad in NWFP, had 64,000 registered Afghans. The closure followed two years of negotiations, as many refugees initially did not want to repatriate. By the camp's closure, some 37,000 refugees had been repatriated by the UNHCR. Most refugees were originally from Afghanistan's eastern and central provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Kabul, and Logar. (UNHCR, July-27)

 

Camp Capacity

About one million mostly long term Afghans in 74 camps—down from about 200 camps.

 

Population

2.05 million registered Afghans remaining in Pakistan; 63 camps in NWFP, 12 in Baluchistan; and one million elsewhere; Many occupants are long-term residents or were born in Pakistan; (UNHCR, Aug-2)

 

Jungle Pir Alizai (Balochistan): 36,000, originally scheduled to close June 15.

 

Kacha Gari (NWFP): original population of 64,811, officially closed July 26 – 37,000 repatriated. (UNHCR, July-27)

 

Jalozai (NWFP): 109,934, originally scheduled to close August 31. UNHCR on August 22 requested Pakistan to temporarily suspend the camp’s closure due to insufficient time for some 100,000 people to move and settle into new places in the face of the fast approaching Ramadan and winter season. (UNHCR, Aug-22) Pakistan has extended the camp closure deadline until March 2008. (IRIN, Sep-4)

 

Girdi Jungle (Balochistan): 17,844, scheduled to close August 31.

(IRIN, June-14)

Refugee Movement

Pakistan wants some 2 million Afghan refugees to return home by 2009. (AP, June-14)

 

UNHCR temporarily suspends Afghan voluntary repatriation campaign in Pakistan until March 2008 due to seasonal slowdown. (IRIN, Nov-2).

Food

UNHCR in coordination with local and international organizations is helping some 4,000 Afghans in five flood-affected Afghan refugee camps in Balochistan province. The assistance mainly included non-food items such as tents and tarpaulins. (IRIN, July-26).

 

WFP, CRS, ARC

 

Health

 

UNICEF, MSF

 

Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter

 

CRS

Security

At least three Pakistani villagers and an Afghan refugee were killed when hundreds of villagers and refugees living in and near the Jungle Pir Alizai camp in Balochistan province clashed with police sent to demolish their homes. (AP, June-14)

Water & Sanitation

IFRC, MDM

Comments