Weekly Round-Up - IRINAS-117: 01-Apr-07
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
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Asia
IRIN-AS Weekly Round-Up 117
26 March - 1 April 2007
CONTENTS:
AFGHANISTAN: Civilians caught in crossfire in south
AFGHANISTAN: Aid delivery to flood victims delayed
AFGHANISTAN: Bird flu cases surge in new areas
AFGHANISTAN: More than 80 killed and thousands displaced by floods and
avalanches
NEPAL: Villagers suffer lack of doctors and medicines
NEPAL: Continuing violence in south threatens peace process
NEPAL: Girls not spared by violence in Terai
PAKISTAN: Survey on landslide-prone areas needed in quake-hit Kashmir
PAKISTAN: Surge of Afghans repatriating
TAJIKISTAN: Demining on Tajik-Afghan border underway
AFGHANISTAN: Civilians caught in crossfire in south
Fighting between international forces and Taliban insurgents in southern
Afghanistan continues to claim the lives of civilians, local residents
say. More than 1,000 civilians were killed or injured in clashes between
insurgents and ISAF in Helmand and neighbouring provinces in 2006,
according to the New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch and other rights
watchdogs. Some 5,000 families have reportedly been displaced in the
province since September 2006.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70925
AFGHANISTAN: Aid delivery to flood victims delayed
More than a week after floods and avalanches killed dozens of people and
caused extensive damage in several provinces of Afghanistan, affected
communities say little or no aid has been delivered to them. Officials
blame lack of access, lack of coordination among aid agencies and
insurgency for the slow response.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70956
AFGHANISTAN: Bird flu cases surge in new areas
New cases of a deadly strain of bird flu have been confirmed in
Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and in the southern province of Kandahar
over the past week, according to the Afghan health ministry. More than
20 cases of bird flu have been confirmed in the country since February,
many in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71028
AFGHANISTAN: More than 80 killed and thousands displaced by floods and
avalanches
Flash floods and avalanches have killed 83 people and damaged hundreds
of houses across a third of Afghanistan's provinces, officials say. The
government of Afghanistan has declared humanitarian emergencies in 13 of
its 34 provinces and has requested urgent assistance from the
international community.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71124
NEPAL: Villagers suffer lack of doctors and medicines
Ram Hari Bista had to carry his 60-year-old sick mother, Nona, on his
bare back for nearly six hours to reach the nearest functioning
hospital. His local health centre in the remote village of Rimikot in
Accham district, 800km northwest of the capital, Kathmandu, ran out of
medicines several months ago. With a population of nearly 250,000,
Accham, one of Nepal's poorest districts, has only one hospital and 75
health units.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70926
NEPAL: Continuing violence in south threatens peace process
Violence and political unrest in Nepal's southern Terai region is
threatening the country's peace process and could bring the Himalayan
nation to a state of anarchy, analysts say. In November 2006, Maoist
rebels and the to the seven-party coalition government signed a peace
agreement. However, increasing demands by ethnic political groups are
destabilising the country and posing a challenge to the government and
the Maoists.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71015
NEPAL: Girls not spared by violence in Terai
In the remote Pathaya village of Rautahat district, some 200km southeast
of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, local women are coming to terms with
seeing three young girls killed in recent clashes between supporters of
the ethnic Madhesi party and former Maoist rebels. NGOs have expressed
concern that the deteriorating security in the southern Terai is
affecting the most vulnerable and that the recent killing of three girls
will lead to more violence against women.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71066
PAKISTAN: Survey on landslide-prone areas needed in quake-hit Kashmir
Humanitarian aid groups have called upon the authorities of
Pakistani-administered Kashmir to conduct a survey of landslide-prone
areas in the earthquake-affected region to mitigate risks to local
inhabitants ahead of monsoon rains in three months' time. The region's
earth surface was severely destabilised after the devastating earthquake
of October 2005.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71020
PAKISTAN: Surge of Afghans repatriating
The number of Afghans returning from Pakistan has increased considerably
over the past week following the announcement of an increased assistance
package for each returnee by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
In an effort to facilitate Afghan returnees' reintegration, UNHCR
recently increased its assistance package three-fold from US $30 to $100
for each Afghan returning to Afghanistan.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=71070
TAJIKISTAN: Demining on Tajik-Afghan border underway
Deminers recently resumed clearing parts of the Tajik-Afghan border of
mines in an effort to reduce the risk posed to local residents, a senior
demining official said on Tuesday. According to the Tajik Mine Action
Centre (TMAC), there are about 25 million square metres of mine risk
areas in Tajikistan.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70962
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