ReliefWeb

Key issues in the past week:

• The general situation in Ghazni city has returned to how it was prior to the attack on 10 August.

• An estimated 18,000 people newly displaced by drought arrived from Muqur district in Qala-e-Naw.

• Early engagements and child marriages are on the rise in informal settlements in Hirat City.

70 New IDPs reported in the past week
178,000 Total verified IDPs in 2018
28,000 People assisted in the past week

Countrywide conflict displacement

There have been no verified reports of displacements during the reporting period. A total of 178,002 people has been verified as having been displaced by conflict in 2018, according to OCHA’s Displacement Tracking System (DTS).

Conflict Displacement Alerts (see map)

Southern Region: Clashes between Afghan military forces and armed groups in Maiwand and Shahwalikot districts, Kandahar, temporarily displaced 70 people from their village. They reportedly returned after two nights.

Ghazni City Update (see response section)

Reportedly, the general situation in Ghazni city has returned to how it was prior to the attack on 10 August. Telecommunications networks, electricity and water are functioning normally and residents move freely. Markets and shops have reopened. Humanitarian partners identified more than 21,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance, the majority of whom had temporarily left their homes to shelter in neighbouring villages and have since returned to their houses.

UNMAS demining teams completed the survey and clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in 17 neighourhoods of the city and destroyed 58 pieces of UXO.

Key informants have pointed to high needs for psychosocial support for residents, including girls and boys.

Please refer to the OCHA Ghazni Situation Update Number No 5 for more comprehensive information.

Natural Disasters and Drought (see response section)

Heavy rains in Ghaziabad district, Kunar, reportedly killed more than ten people, destroyed three houses and damaged five. ANDMA dispatched tents, tarps, NFIs and cash via ARCS.

Drought caused the displacement of nearly 900 people from their village in Miramor district, Daykundi, to a river two hours from their homes. A joint assessment by IOM, UNICEF and ANDMA is underway.

During the reporting period, an estimated 18,000 people displaced by drought arrived from Muqur district, Badghis, to Qala-e-Naw City. Currently eight collective sites house more than 35,000 people. Pumping water for water trucking is a significant concern, due to the overall low availability of water in the city and there is a growing risk of intercommunal tensions. There is urgent need for increased assistance across all sectors in Qala-e-Naw as well as in rural areas. Almost 660 families displaced by drought in Abkamari, Badghis, have not yet received assistance.

In Hirat City, partners report increased poverty and heavy debt among the drought affected families in the ten informal sites. The sub-Cluster Child Protection led by UNICEF registered more cases of child labour, early engagements and child marriages, including one new-born and girls from one to six years of age. Child protection monitoring teams are mitigating such cases, including through direct negotiations, but the need for livelihoods and income generating activities for residents of the sites is highlighted as an urgent need.

Returns to Afghanistan

From 19 to 25 August, a total of 8,773 Afghan citizens returned to their home country. According to UNHCR, 56 Afghan refugees returned from Iran during and according to IOM, 26 Afghan citizens returned from Pakistan on their own and 29 were deported; from Iran, 4,856 people returned on their own and 3,806 were deported.

Security and Humanitarian Access

Fighting in Bilcheragh district, Faryab, is hampering humanitarian activities. The latest fighting erupted only two days after NGOs had conducted a drought impact assessment.

Ongoing Response Activities (see page 2 for details)

During the past week, more than 28,300 people affected by conflict and drought received humanitarian assistance including food, tents, NFIs, cash and participated in sensitization sessions.

Activities were reported from Badghis, Ghazni, Hirat, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces provided by ARCS, NCRO, PU-AMI, UNICEF and WFP. Further, in Ghazni City, more than 2,300 residents, including girls and boys, received mine risk education via UNMAS partners.

In addition, in Hirat City and Qala-e-Naw City, DACAAR, NRC, UNICEF and WVI continued to provide water to more than 112,000 people affected by the drought living in informal sites.