ReliefWeb

Countrywide Conflict Displacement

As of 15 October, a total of 286,918 people were displaced due to conflict in Afghanistan. This is up by more than 20,000 people compared to the previous week. The provinces sheltering the highest numbers of IDPs are Nangarhar (34,872), Kunduz (28,427), Badghis (24,625) and Baghlan (18,788).

Central: More than 900 displaced people reportedly arrived in Kabul during the reporting period from four neighbouring provinces. Following clashes in Sia Gird/Ghorband, Parwan, 2,450 people were verified as IDPs within the district. In the latest surge of clashes in Janikhel, Paktya, 889 people were displaced to Khost (Matun), Khost, and 588 to Gardez centre, Paktya. In 2017, a total of 16,215 people have been verified as displaced in the Central Region, 6 per cent of the total displacement.

Northern/North Eastern: Some 5,200 displaced people from Emamsaheb and Dasht-e-Archi districts, Kunduz, handed in petitions to DoRR requesting assistance in Kunduz City.

Reportedly, 2,800 people arrived in Taloqan, Takhar, from districts bordering Tajikistan. This year, 104,335 IDPs have been verified in the two regions, 36 per cent of this year’s total.

Eastern: Some 860 people were displaced in Nangarhar Province, according to authorities. Displacements were caused by insecurity, threat and intimidation by NSAGs. Since January, 46,532 people have been displaced in the Eastern Region, 13 per cent of the total displacements in 2017.
Southern/South Eastern: More than 10,000 people were displaced to in the Southern and South-Eastern regions, according to authorities. The majority of 4,200 people arrived in Kandahar City, more than 3,000 in Qalat, Zabul. According to initial reports, more than 2,000 people have been displaced into areas controlled by NSAG in Chora/Chinarto district, Uruzgan. A total of 63,770 people are currently displaced in the two regions, 22 per cent of the total displacements this year.

Western: Some 1,940 people have been displaced within Abkamari district, Badghis, due to fighting between proGovernment militias and NSAG. In total, 56,066 people are currently displaced in the Western Region, 20 per cent of the total displacements this year.

Health

Health authorities registered a suspected case of Polio in Batikot, Nangarhar, following laboratory tests of a 15-month old girl, according to WHO. The total number of confirmed Polio cases in Afghanistan this year remains at six.

Returnees and Refugees

From 1 to 7 October, a total of 1,052 people spontaneously returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan and another 54 were deported, according to IOM. From Iran, 7,537 people returned spontaneously and 5,652 were deported. This year, 89,944 people have returned from Pakistan and 301,196 from Iran.
In the same reporting period, 1,292 refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and 26 from Iran, according to UNHCR. Since January, a total of 52,539 refugees have returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan and 2,107 from Iran.

Ongoing Response Activities (please also see page 2)

During the past week, more than 32,000 displaced people, undocumented returnees and refugees received some form of humanitarian assistance in all regions of the country.

CR: The 2,450 people displaced in Sia Gird/Ghorband received food packages from ANDMA while DoRR and ARCS provided emergency household items to each family. The 588 people displaced to Gardez from Janikhel received cash from PIN and in Khost 777 IDPs from the same district were provided with hygiene kits by SI. WFP distributed food to 1,652 refugees from Pakistan in Barmal district, Paktika.

NNR: More than 6,000 displaced people were assisted in Faryab, Kunduz and Takhar provinces in the past week. In Maymana, Faryab, 910 IDPs received cash, food and NFIs from ACTED, WFP and UNHCR. In Kunduz, 5,150 IDPs were assisted by ACTED, DACAAR, UNHCR and WFP. In Takhar’s Rustaq district, ACTED and Concern Worldwide assisted 49 conflict IDPs with cash and emergency household items.

ER: NRC and WFP provided NFIs and food rations to more than 5,000 IDPs in Nangarhar province. In Kunar Province, NRC distributed cash assistance to 189 displaced people and UNICEF distributed NFIs to more than 800 IDPs. Some 950 undocumented returnees from Pakistan received NFIs from IOM at the border. More than 8,800 returnees or IDPs were provided with medical consultations by partners of the Health Cluster and more than 1,700 children were vaccinated. NRC built latrines for eight schools in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces.

WR: In Qala-e-Naw, Badghis, NRC distributed cash assistance to a total of 379 IDPs. UNHCR added NFIs and hygiene kits and WFP assisted 38 of them with food rations. IRC installed three emergency latrines for families most recently displaced from Balamurghab.

Security Incidents and Access Constraints CR: The distribution of cash assistance through ANDMA to 30 families whose houses were destroyed by snow in February in Turwo and Wormamay districts, Paktika, are still pending.

Humanitarian partners cannot access the districts due to reported roadside bombs and the families are unable to come to Sharan, the provincial capital.

ER: After months of negotiations to pass through territory controlled by NSAGs to Pachieragam district centre, Nangarhar, humanitarian partners were able to access and assist nearly 3,200 people displaced in July with food and NFIs.