Afghanistan: Third Quarter Report - HRP financing, achievements and response challenges (Jan - Sep 2015)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The conflict in Afghanistan continues to intensify, with notable escalations in violence seen throughout the North, South and East Regions; Faryab, Helmand, Kunduz and Nangarhar experienced large-scale displacement within and to surrounding provinces. During the quarter, approximately 63,500 individuals were recorded as conflict-displaced, with the total assessed number of forcibly displaced in 2015 reaching 197,000 by the end of September. One trauma care NGO reported a 19 per cent increase in war-related admissions. The increasing violence culminated with the significant, yet temporary, siege of the provincial capital Kunduz by nonstate armed groups (NSAG) at the end of September, which led to a monthlong displacement crisis of nearly the entire city’s population across the North and North East Regions.

As military operations in North Waziristan continued and expanded, refugees remain in the camp and urban areas of Khost and Paktika provinces; families do not expect to be able to return home in the foreseeable future, thus requiring a focus on more medium-term interventions while still meeting life-saving needs of the most vulnerable. At the same time, the return of both documented and undocumented Afghans remains high, with nearly 54,000 registered refugees returning mainly from Pakistan in the first nine months of 2015, as compared to only 13,860 in 2014. Undocumented returnees have also reached higher levels with nearly 440,000 people returning, 80,000 of which are considered particularly vulnerable; the number of vulnerable families and persons with specific needs is also increasing, all contributing to a worsening humanitarian situation in the country and limited capacity to respond.

KEY PLANNING FIGURES FOR 2015

3.8 million people prioritised for assistance

417 million US$ required for Jan-Dec 2015

Q3 OVERALL PROGRESS

3.4 million beneficiaries assisted

208 million US$ received as of September 2015