21 February 2010 - United Nations agencies are working with the local government of Helmand to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) as the influx of people from Marjah district continues into Lashkargah and into other parts of the province.

Some 1,644 IDP families have so far been registered in Lashkargah by the government and UN agencies and others are expected to become internally displaced in Marjah and Nadali districts in the days to come.

According to World Food Programme (WFP) officials in Helmand, some 982 families have received food assistance in Lashkargah, the capital of Helmand province, as of 17 February 2010.

Moreover, the Nimroz office of the United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) reported that around 284 new IDP families from Marjah have arrived in the Khashrod district of Nimroz province.

Hazrat Siddique Amin, UNAMA's Nimroz office head, and a representative from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), called for an emergency coordination meeting to share information, assess needs and plan action to respond to the arrival of approximately 300 families comprising 2,100 individuals from Marjah and Sistani areas.

“The decision was made to provide emergency assistance to the new IDPs in Khashrod in 24 hours in order to support them in this critical juncture,” said Mr Amin.

The IDPs are registered and verified jointly by the WFP, members of the Provincial Disaster Management Committee (PDMC), and implementing partner Afghanistan National Construction Company (ANCC).

Sher Ali Khan, WFP field monitor in Nimroz, said the newly arrived IDPs in Khashrod have been verified and around 35.52 metric tonnes of food material – enough for 300 families – have been delivered from the stock in Zaranj to Khashrod district.

“The UN agencies – UNAMA, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) INGO (international non-government organization) – dispatched food and non-food items for 300 IDP families to Khashrod district. The food will be distributed to IDP families that have already been surveyed and listed by a committee comprising of UN (service contractor) and government staff,” added Mr Khan.

The food and non-food items provided by the UN agencies include: blankets (600); plastic sheets (300); family kits (300 complete kits); jerry cans (300); sweaters (2,100); wheat (100 kilos per family); pulses (10 kilos per family); cooking oil (7.4 kilos per family); and salt (two kilos per family).

The Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (DRRD) provides drinking water through tankers while UNICEF provides the jerry cans for use by the IDPs.

“We are living in difficult conditions. We appeal to government and aid agencies to provide us assistance on emergency basis,” said Haji Nasrullah, one of the IDPs from Marjah district who moved to Khashrod along with his family.

As the conflict continues in the area, more and more people are expected to abandon their homes and move to safer areas asking for more assistance from UN agencies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has begun its polio vaccination campaign in areas where it is able to access the population in that region.

Speaking at a press conference, on Wednesday, in Kabul, about the situation in Helmand, the Deputy Special Representative for the Secretary General, Robert Watkins, said UN organizations and NGOs are providing food and necessary healthcare needs of the population in the region.

“UNHCR is assisting the government in the registration of the displaced families and WFP is providing food and is so far reporting that they have adequate stocks to meet the needs of the displaced population.

“Finally, I would just like to say that I want to once again call upon all parties who are involved in this conflict in Helmand to ensure the impartiality and access of humanitarian organizations to affected civilians. I would like to ask them to ensure free movement of civilian population that wish to leave the zone of conflict,” added Mr Watkins.

By Mujeeb Rahman, UNAMA

Website: United Nations World Food Programme in Afghanistan

Website: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Afghanistan

Website: United Nations Children’s Fund in Afghanistan

Website: United Nations World Health Organization in Afghanistan