Rockbites: Afghan refugees orphaned by international community

newsarchive

November 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

• back to November 2001 index

Afghan refugees orphaned by international community
8 November 2001

(As a human rights oriented Web site—we’re here to raise funds for human rights as well as to expose cutting edge pop—Rockbites occasionally brings you non-music-related stories. Here’s one.)

As the world’s powers unite for a long-term campaign against terrorism following the September attacks, the immediate victims are for now largely forgotten. In New York, aid from the American Red Cross and from the United Way has been snagged by bureaucracy, poor management, and confusion; while in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, refugees are without food, shelter, or any semblance of safety.
    Human rights organization Amnesty International reports “The vast majority of the over 100,000 refugees who have come to Pakistan since the beginning of the current crisis are depending on family and relatives for survival... All of these people have one thing in common—they have no formal status—which renders them under a continuous threat of deportation.”
    Carl Soderbergh, head of Amnesty’s delegation in Pakistan, said “All those we are meeting tell us that they are fleeing Afghanistan because of the bombing campain [which has] exacerbated problems that already existed... Support structures are being disrupted, forcing women to take to the road on their own and placing them in an extremely vulnerable position.”
    The bombing campaign began in the midst of a five year regional drought, which had created Afghanistan’s worst famine threat in recorded history. Herds of livestock were being destroyed because grazing fields had disappeared, while the agricultural deficit reached 2 million tons.
    International aid organization Médicins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders has posted an email report provided by their Tajikistan field coordinator, Brice de le Vingne. He writes “In the seven provinces of northern Afghanistan, there are between 500,000 and 1 million internally displaced persons... I have never seen people with such few belongings. They have nothing. They lost or sold everything because of the drought. The families live under blankets pulled over a few wooden sticks. They have no more livestock, no food provisions, and no source of income.”
    MSF/DWB recently held an expert panel discussion on how the international community could help ensure the delivery of adequate humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees as well as to those still within Afghanistan. They’ve posted a transcript of the proceedings—check our link. | MSF/DWB transcript | | MSF/DWB field report | | Amnesty Internation 11 Sep coverage | | top of page |

back to November 2001 index

today’s stories •

click for Rockbites Home
	Copyright © 1998 - 2001 M. Jason. All Rights Reserved. Rockbites is not for profit and supports human rights. “Rockbites” and “Alternative Daily” are service marks of Rockbites. All names are the property of their respective owners. Send your feedback or questions to feedback@rockbites.org Send your press releases to press@rockbites.org Rockbites Alternative Daily contact information