Afghanistan: Violence forced 6,35,000 people to leave their homes this year, informs UN

On Monday, September 20, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a release that around 6,35,000 people in Afghanistan were displaced from their homes this year owing to violence. The release stated that more than 12,000 were recently evacuated to Kabul, primarily from Panjshir province. The world organization along with its partners reached nearly 8 million people in the first six months of 2021 and the aid is ready to be delivered to around 1,300 displaced people in Kabul, said the UN humanitarian agency. It further claimed that more than 9,300 people who were displaced by the violence in Kunar province received aid from the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration. 

According to OCHA, the World Food Programme will provide food rations to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the lean months of October to January and the food help will be sent to some 63,000 persons in Maidan Wardak province too. The UN office also stressed the importance of healthcare after a report surfaced stating that as many as 29 children were found to be affected by a measles outbreak in Badakhshan province's Yawan and Raghistan districts. Meanwhile, a new Polymerase chain reaction machine with a capacity of 70 to 90 tests per day was installed at Nimroz Provincial Hospital which is also expected to help in ramping up COVID testing, according to the World Health Organization. 

UN refugee chief calls for immediate help to Afghanistan amid worsening situation

On Saturday, September 19, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is severe and called for immediate help to the war-torn country. According to Japan's NHK World, Grandi described the situation in Afghanistan as " terrible" and underlined the urgent need for food, medicines, housing, and other necessities at a press conference in Pakistan's Islamabad.

Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that engagement with Afghanistan will be delayed until the international community reaches a consensus on whether the Taliban-led government should be recognised. It also expressed significant concern about Afghanistan's economic situation, requesting the international community to act quickly to avert a "looming humanitarian crisis" in the country.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)