'IDPs In Northwest Battle Cold, Diseases And Hunger', IRIN News, 26 February 2009

EXCERPT: "Freezing temperatures, hunger and sickness are unrelenting inside an old tent where Dadullah's family has been living near Qala-e-Nau, the capital of the northwestern Afghan province of Badghis. The family abandoned their home in Moqur District because of recurrent armed conflict between insurgent groups and pro-government forces and prevalent food insecurity. A provincial official said about 400 families (around 2,000 individuals) had been displaced across the province over the past two months. Most of the displaced have set up tents or sought shelter in dilapidated houses in the outskirts of the provincial capital. Due to below zero temperatures and lack of access to safe drinking water, many internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly children, are prone to diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. Provincial government authorities said they had few resources at their disposal to mitigate the suffering of IDPs and that non-government aid agencies had little presence in the province."

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See also:
'USAID affiliate warns of widespread hunger', EurasiaNet, 27 February 2009
'Angry Bajaur IDPs block road', The News, 22 February 2009

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