May 4, 2007

 

 

Overview

 

Afghan President Karzai warns of civilian deaths amid NATO-led military offensive Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned on Wednesday (May 2) that further deaths of civilians in NATO-led operations against Taliban militants could lead to serious consequences for the Afghan government and international forces in the country. Speaking to reporters in the Afghan capital Kabul, Karzai said, "We can no longer accept civilian casualties. It is becoming a heavy burden." He said this is something that must change and be corrected or else the consequences will not be good. Five years into the military campaign against insurgents, it has become very hard for the government to accept civilian deaths. Karzai added that the Afghan people's patience was also wearing thin, which could lead to adverse consequences for the government. As many as 70 civilians have been killed since last Friday (April 27) in separate military operations by NATO and US-led coalition forces.

 

French aid agency urges Taliban to free workers as hostage deadline approaches

Today (Friday, May 4), the French aid agency Terre d'Enfance (A World for Our Children) urged Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents to free four of its workers, including a Frenchman and three Afghans that were abducted last month, as a hostage deadline drew closer. In an email received in the Afghan capital Kabul, the agency said, "We beg you to let Eric, Hashim, Rasul and Azrat live and to give them back their liberty" adding, "The message that you gave to Celine has been passed on to all French leaders and French people." Speaking to Reuters over the phone from an undisclosed location earlier today, Qari Mohammad Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said that neither the Afghan government nor the French government had contacted them to negotiate the release of the remaining four hostages. He said, "If our demands are not met then our shura (council) will decide their fate according to Taliban's policy." Last week, the Taliban extended the hostage deadline for a week until Saturday (May 5), following the release of the female French aid worker, Celine Cordelier, because of what they termed as "on grounds of mercy and good intentions." Cordelier and her countryman, Eric Damfreville, along with three Afghan colleagues, were abducted by Taliban insurgents on April 3 in southwestern Nimroz province. The Taliban has since demanded the withdrawal of some 1,000 French troops from Afghanistan and a prisoner swap with the Afghan government in exchange for the release of the four remaining hostages.

 

At least 23 killed in flash floods in northeastern Afghanistan

At least 23 people, including a NATO soldier, were killed overnight in flash floods triggered by melting snow and torrential rains in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. Provincial governor Munshi Abdul Majid told Reuters that authorities had recovered 19 bodies, while three people were still missing. He said floods had destroyed more than 200 hectares (494 acres) of farmland and some 300 homes were without drinking water. He said, “The people are in very bad state". Elsewhere in the province, a NATO soldier was killed when his car was swept away by the floods. Badakhshan, along with its capital Faizabad, is one of Afghanistan's most remote, mountainous and impoverished provinces, and borders Tajikistan, China and Pakistan. It is prone to weather-related natural disasters. Over the past month, dozens of people have been killed in flash floods caused by torrential rains and melting snow across Afghanistan. Following prolonged drought, Afghanistan received excessive snow during the past winter and is subsequently experiencing more rains. Although wet conditions are expected to have a positive impact for the agricultural sector in the long-term, the short term economic impact on people is enormous, considering the country’s instability, lack of employment opportunities and destruction to property, livestock and farmland.

 

Afghans rally against the deportation of thousands of refugees by Iran

Hundreds of Afghans held a rally in the capital of Kabul on Wednesday (May 2) to protest against the deportation of thousands of Afghan refugees by Iran. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 36,000 Afghan refugees in Iran have been deported over the past 10 days. On Tuesday (May 1), Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen urged Iran not to repatriate Afghan refugees as the Afghan government at present had limited capacity to receive any large number of refugees. He said the forced repatriation of a large number of Afghan refugees will create problems for the Afghan government. He also added that the forced deportation had split some families and created hardship for others who had unfinished business in Iran. Iranian officials say they had warned illegal Afghan workers in February that they would be sent back, adding that they had failed to prepare for their departures. Iran currently has an estimated two million Afghan refugees. However, half of them are not registered with Iranian authorities and are considered illegal workers in the country. Iranian authorities maintain that they have every right to send back illegal workers in the country.

 

 

Movement

 

2007 4.2 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan, and 500,000 IDPs returned home since early 2002. Close to 3 million of the refugees returned from Pakistan. 2.6 million Afghans remain in Pakistan, including one million in 74 long-term camps. About 1.5 million Afghans returned from Iran; Taking into account unassisted returns, perhaps 600,000 to 700,000 Afghans remain in Iran—up to 30,000 are in seven camps.

 

Iran deports some 36,000 unregistered refugees to Afghanistan. Officials say they plan to initially send back 500,000 of over a million illegal refugees in the country.

 

Some 200,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan have returned to their homes under the UN-assisted voluntary Afghan refugee repatriation program since it resumed on March 1, 2007, following a seasonal winter suspension. Pakistani authorities say voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan that are without proof of registration (PoR) ended this week (April 15), and refugees remaining in the country without PoR are now considered illegal and subject to government action. Repatriation campaign for Afghan refugees with PoR

 

2006 UNHCR expects to assist 550,000 returnees—400,000 from Pakistan and 150,000 from Iran. However, so far this year only some 60,000 Afghan refugees have repatriated from Pakistan. Unassisted returns are a factor from Pakistan and have been a major contributor to returns from Iran. The tripartite arrangement among UNHCR-Afghanistan-Pakistan is good through 2006; The UNHCR-Afghanistan-Iran Joint Program has been extended into 2007. Repatriation from Pakistan, halted for the winter, recommenced on March 1. UNHCR assisted nearly 9,000 refugees in returning from Pakistan and over 500 from Iran during March. In April 2006, Pakistan will close two long-term camps in NWFP, and two in Baluchistan Province with 250,000 long-term residents. Refugees in Baluchistan can either return to Afghanistan or relocate to Mohammad Kheil camp near Quetta. Refugees in NWFP are moving to Afghanistan or one of ten camps in NWFP—refugees are pushing for a one-year delay.

 

2005 plans called for 400,000 Afghan refugees to return home from Pakistan and 200,000 from Iran, down from an earlier 350,000 estimated from Iran. 453,000 returned from Pakistan. 67,000 from Iran were assisted and over 210,000 returned on their own to Iran for a total of nearly 280,000, and a combined Pakistan and Iran total of 733,000—close to the original projection.

 

2004 plans were for one million to return. Actual returnees were around 850,000, with 385,000 from Pakistan and 460,000 from Iran, including 80,000 spontaneous returns. Pakistan closed camps in South Waziristan and all new camps, with remaining new refugees going to Mohamed Kheil camp in Baluchistan Province.

Emphasis in 2003 was on repatriation from old camps and cities in Pakistan to rural areas in Afghanistan. 70% of returnees from Pakistan were from cities and 30% from camps. Over a third returned to Kabul, another 10% went to other central provinces, and just over 20% returned to each of the north and east. The Southern region received 6% and the Western region 4%. The 2003 peak months were June and July.

 

In 2002 over 2.3 million Afghan refugees returned with 2 million assisted by UNHCR. UNHCR repatriated 1.53 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan, including 125,000 from Baluchistan and 1.4 million from the North West Frontier Province. 82% were from urban areas; only 3% were from new camps. 265,000 refugees were assisted in returning from Iran; and 10,000 refugees from the central Asian republics.

 

 

Afghanistan Relief Efforts: United Nations Coordination Regions

 

 

 

 

 

Central Region

 

 

East Central Region

 

 

Eastern Region

 

 

Northeastern Region

 

 

Northern Region

 

 

Southern Region

 

 

Southern Region IDP camps

 

Location	Zhare Dasht - South of Kandahar – 6 camps
Type	IDP Camp
Coordination	UNHCR
Camp Capacity	30,000; expandable to 60,000
Population	125,000 IDPs in south; 48,500 at Zhare Dasht
Movement IDP	An estimated
Food	WFP
Health	UNICEF, MSF;
NFIs - Shelter
Security
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Support for Spin Boldak camps terminated in 2004.

 

Western Region

 

Location	Western Region
Coordination	UNHCR; ICMC
Population	According to the IFRC, flash floods and avalanches in early March have affected some 200 families in Herat city; 918 families in Gulran district; 35 families in Cheshte Sharif district; 150 families in Shindand district, 6,500 families in Badghis/Jawand and Murghab districts, and 20 families in Gour district. (IFRC, March 23)   12,000 IDPs, mostly in Maslakh camp
Movement IDPs	IOM
Food	WFP has sent 127 tons of food assistance for some 3,515 flood-affected families in Badghis province. (OCHA, Nov. 23) IRC, CARITAS, UNICEF, World Vision, IOM, Action Contre la Faim; WFP;
Health
Non-Food Items (NFIs) – Shelter	UNHCR sent 50 tents, 1,000 blankets, 500 plastic sheets, 20 jerry cans and 500 lanterns for flood victims in Badghis. (OCHA, Nov. 23) UNHCR, Iranian Red Crescent, UNICEF, IOM, Ockenden Int’l, MSF, IMC;
Security	US-led ground and air assault in Zerkoh village on April 29 in Shindad district in Herat killed as many as 87 people, including civilians. (BBC, Reuters, AP, Apr. 30).   Four police officers were killed and two others injured after a police vehicle was ambushed in Guzara district in Herat province on Tuesday. (AP, Apr. 25)
Water & Sanitation	UNICEF
Comments	Provinces of Herat, Badghis and Ghor have also been affected by the floods. (OCHA, Apr. 6)

 

Refugee Camps in Pakistan

 

Location	Long-term camps in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Baluchistan Province, and by capital, Islamabad; Mohamed Kheil 1 & 2 camps (85 km southwest of Quetta)
Type	Refugee Camps
Coordination	UNHCR.
Camp Capacity	About one million mostly long term Afghans in 74 camps—down from about 200 camps.
Population	Estimated 2.6 million Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan; 63 camps in NWFP, 10 in Baluchistan; and one million elsewhere; Many occupants are long-term residents or were born in Pakistan;
Refugee Movement
Food	WFP, CRS, ARC
Health	UNICEF, MSF
Non-Food Items (NFIs) - Shelter	CRS
Security
Water & Sanitation	IFRC, MDM
Comments	The Pakistan government has identified existing camps in Dhir and Chitral in the northern part of the country as relocation sites for Afghans who can not return to Afghanistan following recent camp closures in NWFP and Balochistan. (UNHCR, Feb. 21)   2,161,984 Afghans were registered between October 2006 and yesterday. Of the total, 1,368,316 were registered in North West Frontier Province; 454,726 in Balochistan; 240,698 in Punjab and Islamabad; 92,189 in Sindh; and 6,055 in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir (PcK). More than 2.87 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan since 2002, including over 133,000 in 2006. (Feb. 16, Reuters)   As of February 2, 2007, over two million Afghan refugees in Pakistan have registered in a US$6-million refugee registration campaign jointly carried out by the UNHCR and Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). (UNHCR, Feb. 2)   Pakistan will close four Afghan refugee camps in its border areas, Girdi Jungle and Jungle Pir Alizai in southwestern Balochistan province, and Katchagari and Jalozai in North West Frontier Province (NWFP), by August this year. The camps house about 230,000 people. Katchagari and Jungle Pir Alizai will be closed by June 15, while Jalozi and Girdi Jungle will be closed by August 31. (BBC, UNHCR, Feb-09)