Waziristan refugee crisis

Pakistan's military has vowed to avenge the Peshawar school massacre, in which some 150 people, mostly children, were killed. Since the Taliban assault on December 16, the army has carried out numerous ground and air strikes on Islamist militants in the restive Waziristan region close to the Afghan border.

The new offensive is a continuation of the military's operation "Zarb-e-Azb," which started in June last year. The Pakistani government claims to have killed over 1000 militants in the area. However, there have been reports of collateral damage and civilian killings as well. The South Asian country's authorities deny these claims, and due to the fact there is no access for independent journalists to the area, it is difficult to confirm civilian casualties.

Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes in South and North Waziristan since the start of the operation. It is believed that some of the region's most feared militants use Waziristan as a launching pad for attacks within Pakistan as well as against NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

Bo Schack, UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, says in a DW interview that with the arrival of winter and the number of refugees increasing far beyond initial estimates, it has become much more difficult for communities hosting the refugees, for instance, in Afghanistan, to help arriving families meet their basic needs.

DW: How many people have left Pakistan's tribal area of North Waziristan since Islamabad launched a military offensive in mid-June targeting Islamist militants?

Bo Schack: It is hard to estimate exactly how many people have been displaced in North Waziristan. As for the arrivals into Afghanistan, the current estimate and preliminary registration figure amounts to more than 39,000 families or some 280,000 individuals.

Where have they gone to in Afghanistan?

Almost 29,000 families have been registered in Khost province, in the southeastern region of Afghanistan, while more than 10,000 are registered in Paktika province, just to the south of Khost.

Host communities in these provinces share tribal and cultural links with the refugees, and have been quick to make resources available to meet the basic needs of arriving refugee families.

With the number of refugees increasing far beyond initial estimates and the arrival of winter, however, this has become more difficult. A close cooperation of support has been developed between the communities, the authorities, UNHCR and other UN agencies, as well as a number of important NGOs both international and national.

What is the current situation of the displaced families?

The majority of refugees are currently living in host communities in Gurboz, Matun and Spera districts in Khost and Barmal in Paktika, with over 6,000 families living in the only established camp, Gulan in Gurboz district. With the onset of winter, refugees have required additional assistance.

More than 16,000 refugee families have thus far received winterization items from UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations, which include tents, shelter kits, warm clothing, wood stoves, blankets, and other assistance, depending on need.

The ability of host communities to support the high number of refugees, however, is expected to decrease as resources are exhausted and available shelter is limited during winter months. Also, providing support to these communities to enable them to continue hosting refugees and preventing secondary displacement is crucial.

How high is the risk of the polio virus spreading in these communities?

Both the government and the humanitarian community have been cognizant of the risk of polio from the beginning of the refugee influx. Health actors, including WHO, UNICEF, IMC, and HNITPO deployed mobile teams to the border and set up permanent teams in affected districts in order to ensure comprehensive vaccination coverage for the population of children under 10 years old. Since July 2014, almost 47,000 children under the age of 10 have been vaccinated against polio at the border by these teams.

Separate polio vaccination campaigns have covered 180,000 children under the age of five from both the refugee and hosting communities in Khost and Paktika provinces. A few cases were identified in the very early days of the arrivals but since then there have been no polio cases.

Clearly, the important response by all health entities has been very effective in terms of making sure that there is adequate intervention to avoid any further spread of polio.

Is the military offensive triggering a humanitarian crisis?

UNHCR and partners as humanitarian actors are carrying out a response to the civilian communities and individuals having arrived in Afghanistan. We cannot comment on triggering factors.

What do the refugees need most?

The most important needs as highlighted by the refugee communities are particularly shelter, food, and other utensils to support daily life. In addition, medical care, water and sanitation are needed. The hosting communities have also obtained assistance for education of the children, another important issue for the refugee communities. This has been made possible by involving trained teachers among the refugees as well as other individuals with experience in education.

In December 2014, a mission was conducted in Khost province to identify specific concerns related to sexual and gender-based violence. Concerns noted included women's and children's welfare and access to services, in particular to medical services, and the establishment of referral pathways to respond to specific gender-based needs. Similarly, the mission noted that women's isolation, resulting from restrictive cultural attitudes, presented a particular concern.

Findings from focus group discussions held with refugee women indicated the possibility of increased domestic violence as a result of stress caused by the conditions in the camp. The difficulty of creating gender-segregated living spaces within extended family compounds in the camp and in host communities was further noted as contributing substantially to feelings of stress and shame felt by male and female refugees.

What can the international community do to help?

The international community has already been involved through support to the communities, authorities and agencies involved in the response. Needs though are much larger than the current response with about half of the initial appeal for 25 million USD funded covering the period to the end of 2014. With arrivals continuing the need remains very important and a new appeal has been issued as part of the broader humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan in 2015.

Bo Schack is the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan.