Rising insecurity in Afghanistan has seen year-on-year increases in the number of civilians who flee their homes but remain in the country. The internally displaced population reached a record high this year, with no sign of the trend slowing.
There are no schools for Zainab in the place where her family has settled since they fled conflict in east Afghanistan a year ago. Instead, she spends her mornings collecting fuel for her family’s fire – mostly, discarded bits of plastic.
Zainab is not alone. Afghanistan’s internally displaced population has grown to record levels, according to the United Nations, with more than half a million people leaving their homes in 2016 in search of safety – four times the number of displaced in 2013.
"We’re seeing larger and larger numbers of Afghan families unable to return home in the long term. So we’re seeing larger numbers staying displaced for months, even years," said Danielle Moylan, spokesperson of UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Around 600 families have arrived just in this camp alone in the east of Kabul over the past year. However there has been very little facilities for them – there are no schools, no medical clinics, and only these water wells appeared in the last five days. The families here say they hoped that coming to the capital of their country would provide them some services, but sadly the government is too stretched to meet their needs.
For these fathers from Nangarhar province, conflict had been in their region for many years between Taliban and government-backed security forces. But the emergence of ISIL militants has brought a new level of violence.
"And they started fighting the Taliban and some of them were killed. But then they started their atrocities against civilians. They took away people’s animals, looted houses, and also they killed 11 people in a group whose cousins are sitting here," said Dr. Zahir Shah, Nangarhar Province.
"They [Daesh] put the barrel of a gun in a baby’s mouth, put his white shoe on his chest and shot him with the AK-47. So we were forced to flee the area because we could not defend ourselves," said Nangarhar Shinwari, Nangarhar Province.
All 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces are hosting displaced populations for the first time ever.
"Combined, we’re looking at a really large amount of people, many of whom need assistance and it is something that I think hasn’t been seen for many years in Afghanistan and it certainly is at crisis levels," said Danielle Moylan.
The upheaval might also be helping the insurgency grow because some desperate civilians turn to the militants for financial support. Their fellow Afghans understand.
"They are paying everyone, members of the family, young and old, same like now when refugees are repatriates from Pakistan, every member of the family gets $400 from UNHCR. Daesh also does the same, for the women, for the children. Either $500 to $1000 per person," said Afzali Khan, Nangarhar Province.
