PAKISTAN: US TERROR ATTACKS: AFGHAN REFUGEES KEEP FLOODING THE PAKISTAN BORDER AS THE UN WFP WARNS OF POSSIBLE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Record ID: 275348

  • Title: PAKISTAN: US TERROR ATTACKS: AFGHAN REFUGEES KEEP FLOODING THE PAKISTAN BORDER AS THE UN WFP WARNS OF POSSIBLE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
  • Date: 23rd September 2001
  • Summary: PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN (SEPTEMBER 24, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WAREHOUSE IN PESHAWAR FOR UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME 2. MV WORKERS UNLOADING 0.10 3. MV WORKERS PUTTING DOWN SACKS OF RICE 0.16 4. VARIOUS OF WORKERS UNLOADING (4 SHOTS) 0.42 5. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) AZIM KHAN, WFP PESHAWAR, SAYING: "The WFP is already tryi
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PESHAWAR, QUETTA, CHAMAN, PAKISTAN
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Reuters ID: LVA87ISC881J3BH8EKQB3JMV0GFX
  • Story Text: Amid growing fears of mass hunger in Afghanistan, the
    World Food Programme (WFP) has launched preparations for a
    possible flood of Afghan refugees in the wake of widely
    expected U.S. reprisals against the nation.

    The UNHCR said it has reached an oral agreement with the
    Pakistani authorities to start screening Afghan refugees
    waiting at the border to get through to Pakistan.



    In a warehouse in Peshawar, officials from the World
    Food Programme are preparing for the worst - ready to cope
    with a potential flood of refugees from Afghanistan.

    As the U.S. stands poised to launch reprisals against
    Afghanistan, aid agencies are warning of a devastating
    humanitarian crisis. Already, thousands of Afghans are known
    to have fled their homes in fear of U.S. attack - but they
    remain stranded on the Afghan side of the border after
    Pakistan closed off access last week - far from food and
    shelter.

    UN agencies have moved into emergency mode to deal with
    the crisis, with the World Food Programme ready to feed
    another one million refugees if necessary.

    "The WFP is already trying out a contingency plan for
    around about a million influx coming in from Afghanistan, we
    have already geared up our resources as well as many
    taskforces have been formed and we are in contact with the
    government and the UN agencies," said Azim Khan of the WFP in
    Peshawar.

    UNHCR spokesman Rupert Colville has arrived to Quetta on
    Monday (September 24) to help coordinate UNHCR efforts in
    processing anticipated influx of refugees.

    "We now have an agreement with the local authorities to
    start screening and registering the refugees as of tomorrow.

    It's not signed and sealed but we have a verbal agreement. And
    then, those who are in need of assistance among the ones we
    decide are refugees and not traders or other sorts of people,
    we will take to a camp and start setting up a camp. So the aid
    operation may physically start tomorrow," said Colville.

    The screening is expected to take place at Dara camp,
    eight kilometres from the border. The camp itself can
    accommodate up to 20 thousand refugees.

    The UNHCR says there are currently one million displaced
    Afghanis dependent on humanitarian aid. Last week, the WFP
    said five million people in Afghanistan were in urgent need of
    food assistance and the WFP says it only has three weeks of
    food stocks left. Conflict with the U.S. is likely to push
    these people through the border in search of shelter and food.

    "The potential is there for an absolutely massive crisis,"
    said UNHCR spokesman.

    Pakistan already hosts two million Afghan refugees.




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