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Afghanistan Weekly Field Report (13 - 19 August 2018)

Countries
Afghanistan
+ 1 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Key issues in the past week:

  • Fighting in Ghazni City has ended and humanitarian assistance is reaching residents.

  • The number of people displaced by drought in the Western Region has surpassed 100,000.

  • Humanitarian agencies provided assistance to more than 61,000 people in need.

2,150 New IDPs reported in the past week
178,000 Total verified IDPs in 2018
61,000 People assisted in the past week

Countrywide conflict displacement

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). This is up by 2,150 displaced people compared to the previous week. The DTS tracks displacements based on humanitarian assessments.

Conflict Displacement Alerts (see map)

Central and South-Eastern Region: In Ghazni, between 7,500 to 18,000 people reportedly fled fighting in the city to surrounding villages, according to partners and authorities. There are reports of people gradually returning to their homes in the city. Some 630 people displaced from Ghazni City to Miramor district, Daykundi. More than 1,000 people reportedly displaced to different districts of Kabul Province from Baghlan, Kunduz, Logar, Nangarhar and Samangan.

Eastern Region: Some 170 people were displaced within Nuristan Province, according to authorities, due to insecurity and threats by armed groups. Clashes between members of opposed armed groups reportedly displaced more than 360 people in Kunar Province.

Ghazni City Update

The fighting ended and Afghan security forces have retaken control of the city. Electricity, telecommunication and water services are operational again, however still suffer from outages. Travel from Kabul to Ghazni via Highway 1 is possible but remains risky due to continued sporadic clashes along the road.

In the past days, ARCS, ICRC, WHO and UNICEF delivered medical and nutritional supplies to the hospital, WFP delivered 110 metric tons of food to the city, sufficient for 3,300 people for one month. A joint mission by UNDSS and OCHA reached the city on Sunday and OCHA held a first meeting with NGOs and authorities to coordinate the humanitarian response. Mine action teams of UNMAS partners are surveying unexploded ordnance in the city.

Please refer to the OCHA Ghazni Situation Updates Number 2, Number 3 and Number 4 for more comprehensive information.

Drought Update (see response section)

The drought continues to force people from their rural homes to the urban centres in Badghis, Ghor and Hirat provinces where their number surpassed 100,000 since May, according to humanitarian partners.

The situation of drought-induced IDPs in Hirat ciSty, Hirat remains dire. In the past week, six children reportedly died in the informal sites due to sickness, in a fire accident and at birth. WASH, health and protection services on the sites are picking up, but there are large gaps notably of emergency shelter. DRC-DDG and UNICEF have started protection monitoring on sites housing some 35,000 people.

Cluster Updates

The sub-Cluster Gender Based Violence (GBV) provided services to more than 540 survivors of GBV in five provinces the past week and trauma counselling to more than 1,500 people. In the Eastern Region, the Health Cluster provided consultations to 5,000 returnees and displaced people and vaccinated nearly 950 children.

Security Incidents and Humanitarian Access

Some 40 health facilities in Zabul Province were allowed to reopen after having been closed down by an armed group mid-July, following mediation of tribal elders. In Badghis Province, 20 health facilities reportedly remain closed since mid-May.

Ongoing Response Activities (see page 2 for details)

During the past week, more than 61,000 people affected by conflict and drought received humanitarian assistance or participated in sensitisation activities across the country.

Assistance for nearly 12,000 people affected by conflict, returnees from Pakistan or host communities included providing access to water, cash, food, hygiene kits and NFIs. Activities were reported from seven provinces by organisations including ACTED, Afghan Aid, DACAAR, DRC-DDG, IMC, IMC, IRC, Oxfam/ADA, RI, SCI, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and ZOA/SHPOUL.

Assistance for 47,000 drought-affected people in Badghis, Faryab and Hirat provinces included notably food, hygiene kits, NFIs, tents and water trucking provided by DACAAR, IOM, IRC, NRC, UNICEF and WFP. In Qala-e-Naw, NRC built 50 emergency latrines and three water tanks with 150,000 litres of water on the new informal site with currently 900 families.

In addition, WVI completed the distribution of food to more than 64,000 people in rural areas of three districts of Badghis and authorities reportedly distributed wheat to more than 120,000 people in Ghor.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.