Displacement of civilians by fighting in Swat and tribal areas escalates
MAY 8, 2009
ALERT: 11/2009 - May 8, 2009
ACT International is responding to the humanitarian crisis that has escalated in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan as armed conflict between the state army and militants is causing major displacement of the local population, including from Swat, Buner, and Lower Dir districts of NWFP.
Of the total population of approximately 3.3 million in these three districts, it is expected that at least 25%, or 800,000 persons, will be displaced by the armed conflict. Reports from the local government of Swat claim that 150,000 to 200,000 people have been displaced from the district since yesterday. The current security situation makes monitoring and verification of figures very difficult. This new situation compounds the pre-existing situation in NWFP where hundreds of thousands have been displaced by earlier battles. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has registered more than 550,000 IDPs in NWFP since October 2008, more than 80% of whom live in rented accommodation or with host families, while the remainder are living in 11 camps (UNHCR report, 21 April).
Humanitarian Impact
ACT alliance members report that the majority of IDPs are fleeing with few possessions and most are taking shelter with relatives or in rented accommodation in the surrounding areas. Presently there are six camps in Dir, Mardan and Swabi districts accommodating approximately 1,200 families. UN OCHA today reported in Islamabad that four new camp sites have been identified to accommodate up to 60,000 new IDPs. Most responding agencies are focusing on providing assistance to IDPs in camps, with little attention given to those living in rented houses and with host families, according to ACT member reports today.
Current capacity and emerging needs reveal gaps in assistance in the areas of emergency shelter and non-food items; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); health, nutrition, education, food and early recovery assistance (UN and ACT member reports).
National and international response
The Prime Minister of Pakistan has allocated a grant of PKR 1 billion for the IDPs in Swat and FATA. The Prime Minister and has appealed for collaboration and assistance from the national authorities and the international community. The NWFP government has initially announced Rs.5 million (approximately US $62,000) for each affected district to provide immediate relief to the IDPs (www.onlinenews.com.pk).
The UN is ramping up its humanitarian relief efforts in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority and NGOs. It has been providing humanitarian assistance to IDPs in NWFP since late last year with over 50,000 families receiving "one-off" provisions of relief materials and in February alone food and essential services were given to 348,000 IDPs and conflict-afflicted groups (www.un.org/news). With the new influx there are substantial recognized gaps. UN OCHA will decide early next week whether to revise a previously launched UN appeal which has only received 33% funding, or to launch a new appeal.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the Pakistan Red Crescent Society is mobilizing resources to support 120,000 IDPs with food and essential relief items and 30,000 IDPs with basic health care, including scaling up of a surgical hospital in Peshawar for weapon-wounded patients.
The Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF) is the coordinating body for all INGOs in which ACT members take part. Some of the PHF members are currently responding in the health sector, while others are in the process of completing assessments. By Monday 11 May there will be a meeting on a joint assessment to identify the gaps and responses needed. A joint security assessment is also planned.
ACT International response
Members of the ACT Pakistan Forum, Church World Service-Pakistan/Afghanistan (CWS-P/A), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) are coordinating their respective responses, to be implemented with and through local partner organizations. Today, CWS-P/A attended a General Coordination Meeting and the PHF meeting in Islamabad to share details of the current situation and to discuss the immediate plans of the government and NGOs. NCA is part of the UN-led Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) cluster coordination.
CWS-P/A is responding immediately with the distribution of 250 food packages and 190 shelter kits by this Monday to assist IDPs with available resources.
NCA is planning interventions with three partners- PVDP, Tarraqui Foundation and PAK-CDP- two of whom are already working in the camps. NCA’s partners are in the process of conducting needs assessments in the field. NCA is planning to assist IDPs living both with host families (mainly in Abbottabad/Mansehra district) and IDPs living in camps (in Swabi). NCA staff will be in Swabi over the weekend to assess the situation on the ground and to prepare intervention plans with their partners and following WASH cluster meetings early next week.
The ACT Coordinating Office expects to receive proposals early next week from both CWS-P/A and NCA for proposed assistance under an ACT appeal.
DKH has secured German Ministry funding for a 6 month relief project for IDPs in Mardan district/NWFP with national NGO partner, Sungi, with implementation to start as soon as possible. This project will not be brought under the ACT appeal mechanism, while DKH will continue to coordinate as part of the ACT Forum.
