Situation update: Khogyani displacements and response, 8 December 2017

Context and Situation:

On 15 October, fighting intensified in areas under control of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) of Khogyani district, Nangarhar Province, following a series of clashes over the past few months, provoking the displacement of more than 40,000 people to Khogyani district centre, Behsud, Chamtala, Chaparhar, Pachieragam and Surkhrod districts as well as Jalalabad City in just a few days. Renewed fighting from 24 to 27 November led to another displacement of several thousand people from two dozen villages under NSAG control. To date, 51,600 people have been displaced from Khogyani due to these latest hostilities.

Many displaced families fled their homes on foot and walked three to four hours to reach their current locations. Although some have found shelter with relatives, others are erecting makeshift shelters in open areas - notably in two displacement sites in Sra Qala with 75 and 150 families each, and in Sardar Banda with 36 families.

In total, 33,000 displaced people have found shelter scattered across Khogyani District, 9,800 have fled to Pachir Wa Agam and 9,600 to Surkh Rod districts. Some 4,500 have sheltered in Behsud District and approximately 1,100 in Jalalabad City.

Needs and Response:

Assessment teams under the lead of ARCS, IRC, NCRO, NRC, SCI, UNCHR and WHO dispatched to areas where people had been displaced on 18 October and have identified 40,000 displaced people and members of the host community in need of humanitarian assistance. Assessments were ramped up to include 30 teams following the second influx of displaced families.

Food and cash distributions commenced on 1 November followed by distributions of emergency household items and shelter kits.

Partners have so far responded to 33,000 people (see below table*) with emergency food rations, water trucking, multipurpose cash, non-food items. In the district centre, water trucking for 1,400 people has started. Five ambulances were dispatched to the district and two emergency medical kits delivered to the district hospital in the district centre. UNFPA is providing specialised services for survivors of gender-based violence through a mobile clinic as well as psychosocial support.