Conflict forces a quarter of a million people from their homes in Pakistan as world turns blind eye to Khyber crisis
Intensifying conflict in Pakistan’s Khyber Agency close to the border with Afghanistan has forced more than a quarter of a million people to flee their homes since January, warned Save the Children today. Thousands of families, including over 100,000 children, have not got enough food, water or shelter, and are vulnerable to disease.
A Pakistani military operation against suspected militant groups in the remote area has prompted an exodus of families desperate to escape the fighting, with increasing numbers fleeing their homes for the relative safety of displacement camps and host families in neighbouring areas. Over the past week, an estimated 60,000 people have arrived at a single camp in Jalozai, and others have flooded into nearby towns and villages. Hundreds of thousands more are expected to follow in coming weeks, but despite the huge numbers of people on the move, the crisis has attracted very little international attention.
David Wright, Save the Children’s Pakistan country director said: “Thousands of children are arriving, many of them deeply distressed by the conflict. Having fled for safety, their families are forced to choose between grim conditions in the camps or cramming into their relatives’ homes. They urgently need help. We are already seeing rates of disease rise in the camps, and conditions outside are reported to be even worse. The world needs to wake up fast to this escalating crisis.” Most families are staying with relatives and friends in overcrowded households, which are already under strain following earlier crises. The continuing military operations mean it is unlikely that they will be able to return home in the near future. Save the Children and other aid agencies are on the ground, but with so little international attention, raising enough money to fund the response may prove very difficult.
Save the Children expects to spend at least $9m to help 200,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families. The aid agency will provide healthcare and basic hygiene kits to protect families from disease outbreaks, and is setting up safe places for children to play to help them recover from difficult experiences. The charity is also distributing life-saving and life-sustaining supplies such as shelter kits, blankets, food and water to those displaced by the fighting.
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