Thursday, February 19, 2009

THOUSANDS OF AFGANS DISPLACED BY FIGHTING

Tens of thousands of Afghans displaced from their homes by escalating fighting and ongoing food shortages require immediate humanitarian assistance, said Amnesty International today.
Around 235,000 people are currently displaced in Afghanistan, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of them are displaced as a result of the fighting between government forces (and allied US and NATO troops) and armed opposition groups, including the Taleban, particularly in the South, Southeast and Northwest regions of Afghanistan.
The fighting between various armed groups in Afghanistan has aggravated the effects of an ongoing drought and growing food insecurity in northern and western Afghanistan and forced thousands of families to seek shelter in relatively safer and wealthier areas, such as Herat and Kabul.
People who have been displaced by the fighting in southern Afghanistan have arrived at camps near Kandahar, where they are vulnerable to ongoing fighting between government forces and the Taleban and are largely cut off from international assistance.
In line with international humanitarian law, all parties to the conflict, including armed opposition groups, have a legal obligation to allow and facilitate safe passage of impartial humanitarian assistance to civilians lacking supplies and services essential for their survival.
Amnesty International calls upon the Afghan government, particularly the Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation Affairs, and all the other national and international aid agencies to provide immediate assistance for the displaced, including essential food and potable water, basic shelter, appropriate clothing and heating materials as well as essential medical services and sanitation, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
Source: World News

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