UN: More Than 223,000 Afghans Displaced Since Start of 2017

More than 223,000 Afghans have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict in their country this year, the United Nations has said in a released report.

Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed that 223,874 people have been displaced since January 2017.

“The provinces sheltering the highest number of displaced people are Kunduz with 28,261 IDPs, Nangarhar with 27,401 IDPs and Uruzgan with 17,062,” the UN report said.

“In Gomal district, Paktika, humanitarian partners were reportedly not allowed to assess the situation of some 350 displaced people, out of fear of local elders and representatives of the displaced community from members of an NSAG,” the report added.

Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation expects the number of displaced and returnees to increase. However, the ministry informs about an annual plan for addressing the issues of the returnees.

“We have a plan for returnees and internally displaced Afghans, their numbers will rise but we still need $300 million out of $500 million in total for their assistance,” said Meher Khuda Sabar, an official in the Refugee and Repatriation Ministry.

Insurgency has raged in Afghanistan in recent years, and the militant groups have increased scale of attacks and gained more territories in the country, according to watchdogs. Last year, 600,000 Afghans were displaced due to the conflict.

 Some Afghan researchers say, civilians will suffer more due the ongoing conflict unless the situation improves and their problems being addressed.