PAKISTAN: UNHCR PREPARE FOR 300,000 AFGHAN REFUGEES TO BE FED AND SHELTERED NEAR CHAMAN CROSSING

Record ID: 275149

  • Title: PAKISTAN: UNHCR PREPARE FOR 300,000 AFGHAN REFUGEES TO BE FED AND SHELTERED NEAR CHAMAN CROSSING
  • Date: 26th October 2001
  • Summary: CHAMAN BORDER, PAKISTAN (OCTOBER 24, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. MV WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) FOOD SACKS AID BEING UNLOADED INTO WAREHOUSE FOR DISTRIBUTION; SCU USA AID SIGN ON AID BAG BEING UNLOADED; SCU WFP BISCUITS IN BOXES; SCU STACKS OF WFP HIGH ENERGY BISCUITS IN BOX; SCU STACKS OF BUCKETS AND JERRY CANS (7 SHOTS) 0.41 KILLI FAIZO, PAKISTAN (OCTOBER
  • Embargoed: 10th November 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CHAMAN BORDER, KILLI FAIZO, PAKISTAN
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Reuters ID: LVA2RV70HNEW11634NQXHEEZIBUB
  • Story Text: The UNHCR have said they are preparing for 300,000
    people to be fed and sheltered in the Pakistani village of
    Killi Faizo, near the Chaman crossing. The UNHCR said 19
    Afghan families had been settled in the new camp near the
    Afghan border.

    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees
    (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the U.N.

    children's fund (UNICEF) acquired more aid supplies on
    Wednesday (October 24, 2001).

    The supplies included wheat, buckets, Jerry cans and high
    energy biscuits and could be transported to camps within
    Pakistan or Afghanistan depending on the government's future
    policy.

    Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf has said only
    vulnerable and wounded refugees would be allowed in as well as
    Afghans with appropriate papers.

    Yet thousands of refugees have unofficially crossed the border
    already, with little or no attempt by officials to stop them.

    Many more have been smuggled in by drivers on both sides
    of the border.

    A UNHCR camp has been set up in the Pakistani village of
    Killi Faizo, the last village before the Afghan crossing,
    where they say 19 families were settled on Wednesday.

    It is an emergency camp for refugees whose status is
    assessed by Pakistani and Taliban border guards and has enough
    capacity for 1,000 refugees.

    Medecins Sans Frontiere (MSF) screen the newly arrived
    refugees on arrival to check those in urgent need of care. The
    UNHCR said most of the refugees were in poor health but that
    none needed medical treatment.

    "Instruction was given at the border to allow in the most
    vulnerable cases and this is why today we are seeing as many
    people but more are on the way we are told and the camp can be
    expand," said UNHCR spokeswoman Fatoumata Kaba.

    The majority of the refugees at the camp were women,
    children and old men.

    Ten-year-old Hamida just said she came from the city and
    that she had seen and heard many bombs. "Yes we were
    definitely scared (of the bombing) the children were crying..
    yesterday, we just had one loaf of bread and we all shared the
    same one," Hamida said.

    One refugee from Badghus, Zarka, cried for help.

    "There is no water or flour to make bread or cook for our
    children," Zarka said.

    The flow of refugees crossing into Chaman dramatically
    slowed down on Wednesday to about 500. The UNHCR had estimated
    up to 5,000 had crossed only two days ago.

    The UNHCR has said it was in contact with a number of
    refugees who have disappeared into cities such as Quetta.

    However it is planning for an influx of 300,000 refugees
    whom they said they expected to cross into Pakistan soon and
    would continue the preparation of the Rogani and Tortangi camps.


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