Displaced Afghans dying of cold and hunger

The office of the UN Coordinator for Afghanistan confirmed on Friday that more than 260 people in northern Afghanistan had died of cold and hunger as conditions within displacement camps continued to deteriorate. It said an estimated 117,000 people were living in miserable conditions as a result of drought, civil war, or a combination of both in northern areas. Although assessments of the area have been limited, northern parts of the country, including the northern provinces of Faryab, Jowzjan, Balkh, Samangan and Saripul, are particularly affected, according to the UN. A recent assessment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in various small camps and settlements in the northern provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan indicated that over 200 people had died due to cold and hunger following a cold spell in the area, according to the UN. The deceased were predominately children and elderly people among some 23,000 IDPs in 16 camps in Baghlan. Local authorities had tried to accommodate the displaced in abandoned public buildings since their arrival last autumn. However, recent arrivals have been forced to live in overcrowded makeshift camps where poor sanitation, disease and cold, as well as a lack of safe drinking water, continue to take their toll. In Kunduz, 60 people out of some 8,000 assessed were confirmed to have died from exposure. Given difficulties in assessing the situation, the death toll could be higher, according to the UN. Some 27,000 people IDPs were living in another 30 camps in the area, the UN stated. "It's too soon to say whether the situation is escalating or not. There are a number of food for work projects targeting the IDP population in the pipeline which would definitely make a difference in terms of food stock available to this group," aid UN resident coordinating officer for the northern regions, Farhana Faruqi, told IRIN on Monday. "I don't expect cold to be a major factor at this point in time but lack of food will continue to be a problem for the IDPs living in the area," she said. The UN estimates that up to 600,000 Afghans have been displaced or been made refugees last year and this year to date. Following his recent mission to Afghanistan and Pakistan, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Kenzo Oshima said about one million Afghans were at risk of famine. Without the prompt delivery of aid, he said, a humanitarian catastrophe could ensue.