PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE FOR COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

PRESS BRIEFING BY OFFICE FOR COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners were very cautiously optimistic about their ability to deliver humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, Kevin Kennedy, Chief of OCHA’s Humanitarian Emergency Branch, told correspondents at Headquarters this afternoon.  The humanitarian situation was mixed in some areas and had deteriorated in others, he said, adding that they were prepared for the challenges ahead.

Giving an overview of the humanitarian situation in the country, he said that even without the events of the last two months, the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan was very significant.  People were living in very difficult circumstances.  They lacked regular access to food, water and health.  The events of the last two months had not helped that situation, he said.

The rapid military developments of the past week had fundamentally changed the conditions for delivery of humanitarian assistance into and within Afghanistan and the picture was somewhat mixed, he said.  In some areas the ability to deliver assistance had improved, while it had deteriorated in others.  The main elements were insecurity, not only due to the ongoing hostilities, but also to unrest.  Insecurity along roads in places such as Mazar–e Sharif and from Jalalabad to Kabul had resulted in the tragic deaths of four journalists last week.

On a positive note, he said food distribution had resumed.  The World Food Programme (WFP) had resumed its operations from neighbouring countries into Afghanistan.  Over the last two months, it had delivered into the country more than 80,000 tonnes of food of, which 74,000 tonnes had almost been distributed in many areas.  It was a very significant and tremendous achievement on the part of all those involved -– including local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Among problems they faced were lack of radio communications, inadequate staff, problems of getting the staff of their partner organizations back into the country, and difficulties in moving about.

He said the United Nations and its NGO partners had in the past two weeks been able to re-establish their presence in the Badakhshan region of northeastern Afghanistan.  They had been able to distribute supplies by plane and by truck from Tajikistan in that remote and mountainous region.  Efforts there were proceeding well, he said, and added that they might be able to meet requirements.

He said traumatic events in Mazar-e Sharif in the last few days had basically stopped most of the humanitarian efforts in that region.  There was a desperate need for food from the Balkh to Faryab Provinces.  It was very difficult to move supplies into that region.  So as the situation in Mazar-e Sharif hopefully settled down, it would be possible to resume and intensify

their operations there.  The recent reopening of a bridge linking Uzbekistan and Afghanistan would also make a significant difference in north and northwest Afghanistan, where the needs were critical.

The corridor between Quetta, Chaman, Kandahar and Herat, which was a major delivery route, was effectively closed due to hostilities and insecurity.  A serious concern was the condition of internally displaced persons, numbering at least 60,000, in a camp in the region.  Their information was that they were “in a pretty grim situation”.  Humanitarian workers had to get back there as soon as possible, but hostilities and the general insecurity prevented them from doing so.

In the north of the country, the picture was again mixed, Mr. Kennedy said.  In Kabul itself, the United Nations, the NGOs and the International Committee of the Red Cross had re-established a very full presence.  Daily flights were bringing in supplies and staff, and shortly the WFP would be able to distribute food to more than a million people in Kabul city.  It was a major effort led by the WFP, supported by 23 different NGOs with an additional 6,300 Afghans involved.

Overall, Mr. Kennedy said they were very cautiously optimistic about their ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, and also prepared for the many challenges ahead.

He told a questioner that weather conditions and the proliferation of landmines were a problem.  Afghanistan was probably one of the three, if not the most, mined countries in the world.  The United Nations had an active demining programme in the country.  It was hoped that improved security would bring about a full resumption of the demining operation.

To date there had not been problems with landmines along the major access roads.  Intensive surveys had been carried out.  They had a good idea where the mines were located prior to 11 September, he said.

Asked whether they had had help with their communications problems from the coalition forces, he said he did not think they were involved in monitoring food distribution inside Afghanistan.  They seemed to be there rather in small numbers, located in a couple of areas.  “Our operations are moving quite independently of theirs”, he said.

Replying to another question about landmines, he said that in the last couple of years, between 200 to 300 Afghans had either been killed, maimed or injured by landmines in Afghanistan.

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