Over 10,000 displaced in Baghlan, Afghanistan

Islamabad (Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan), 9 October 2000 -- A recent joint mission comprised of UN and NGO staff has assessed the situation of displaced persons in Baghlan Province in northern Afghanistan.
According to the provincial authorities and aid organisations on the ground, 15 to 20 families per day are arriving from Nahrin, Burka, and Ishkamish. The provincial department registering new arrivals says that approximately 1,500 families have arrived so far. They are being directed to public buildings. In addition, approximately 60 families are camped out in a park in Baghlan City. The mission visited five large IDP concentrations in public buildings. Local authorities have agreed to provide more public places to accommodate these families. All the displaced families so far are displaced due to conflict.

In Pulikhumri, also in Baghlan Province, IDPs are being housed both in public buildings and with local families. Smaller numbers of IDPs are also accommodated in Dahan-e-Ghuri, Dandh Gahuri, Doshi, and Khinja districts. Most buildings in Pulikhumri and Baghlan City are crammed with IDPs, e.g. with single rooms housing eight to ten families. Women and children sleep inside the buildings at night and men outside.

The mission also met with aid organisations in the area and agreed to work closely and in a co-ordinated manner to ensure the best use of collective resources for the IDPs. The mission has identified a need for increased health and sanitation facilities, including latrines, immunisation services, and drinking water. Most families have come in the clothes they were wearing and very few have proper winter bedding, clothes or kitchen utensils. In agreement with local authorities and IDP leaders, the displaced use local materials to repair rooms in public buildings, while local authorities provide the tools.

This year, Afghans are facing displacement not only due to conflict but also drought. Currently over 60,000 persons are displaced in Takhar and Badakhshan Provinces due to fighting, in addition to those recently assessed in Baghlan Province. Kabul and the Panjshir Valley are home to well over 50,000 people still displaced by fighting last summer. In addition, Herat City is currently a main destination for families affected by severe drought in western Afghanistan, with several thousand families having arrived so far.

In addition to the needs of the displaced, the United Nations in Mazar has also highlighted the lack of seed in northern region and warned of a serious long-term food deficit if the seed shortage is not remedied. The Regional Working Group on Food Security has confirmed that the gap between seed requirements and availability is enormous.

Due to drought, the damage caused to seed stocks could be irreversible if quick action is not taken. The seed needed in the region amounts to 117,000 metric tonnes, and the expected gap is projected to be at least 38,000 MT. There is growing concern in the region among the aid community that people have started consuming rain fed seeds. This means further loss of seeds for the next planting season.

The Office of the United Nations Co-ordinator has appealed for US$ five million for seeds urgently needed due to the drought. So far, negligible funding has been received.

For more information contact:

Stephanie Bunker 2211451 x 415, Office of the UN Co-ordinator for Afghanistan
Or
Hans Brink, FAO Afghanistan, 2828217