Between 2,000-3,000 thousand people have
been forced to flee their villages and camps in Panjwayi district,
32 kilometres west of Kandahar city, according to IOM
Kandahar-based programme officer Abdul Basir.

The new displacement caused by the upsurge of
fighting in the southern Afghan province coincides with the closure
at the end of this month due to lack of funding of IOM's four-year
programme to help internally displaced Afghans to return home.

While many of Panjwayi villagers have been
able to seek refuge with friends and relatives, the situation for
8,000 internally displaced families in the Zaredasht camp 22
kilometres west of Kandahar raises serious concerns, according to
Abdul Basir.

On Tuesday IOM is planning to move 44 families
living in the camp back to their homes in the northern Afghanistan.
But 21 of the families have already fled to tents in Kandahar city,
fearing a spread of the fighting.

"People are very scared and 150 families have
registered with UNHCR requesting to be moved. Many more may follow,
because the security situation means that they are unable to go out
to work in the fields," says Abdul Basir.

As many as 150,000 people displaced by
Afghanistan's two decades of conflict still remain in camps and
settlements around the country, despite IOM's four-year programme
that has helped over 400,000 to return home.

Yesterday IOM donated 43 trucks used to move
internally displaced families to the Afghan government, pending the
closure of the programme on May 31st.

For further information, please contact:

Rahilla Zafar

IOM Kabul

Tel: +93 70 06 60 36

E-mail: "mailto:rzafar@iomkabul.net" target="_blank" title=
"">rzafar@iomkabul.net