Countrywide Conflict Displacement
2017: As of 21 May, 101,380 individuals have been displaced in Afghanistan in 2017 with 29 provinces recording some level of forced displacement. This is a 37 percent decrease compared to in 2016 (160,195).
Northern/North Eastern: Clashes between government forces and NSAGs increased during the past week in Kunduz, Faryab and Samangan provinces. The government forces regained Qala-e-Zal district. During the week reportedly 26,110 individuals have been displaced within areas of Qala-e-Zal, KunduzKhanabad road to Kunduz city and Khanabad district centre. Since January 2017, 40,570 individuals have been displaced in the region, 40 percent of the country.
Southern: Clashes between NSAGs and government forces continued in Hilmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul. In Uruzgan, 2,100 individuals have been reportedly displaced to Tirinkot city.
New IDPs are reported in Kandahar city from Miyanishin and Spinboldak in Kandahar province. Assessments are underway in both cases. So far in 2017, 33, 512 individuals have been displaced in the South and South Eastern region, 33 percent of the total displaced.
Western: In Farah, NSAGs warned farmers to speed up the collection of the agriculture crops as they are preparing to attack government facilities, the attack and counter-attack by government forces will destroy the crops at the time of harvesting.
In Badghis, 1,400 individuals displaced from vicinity of provincial capital to Qala-e-Naw city due to arm clashes between government forces and NSAGs. Assessments are ongoing. In 2017, 9,010 individuals have been displaced due to conflict in the region.
Eastern: Clashes continued between NSAGs and government forces across the region during the past week. In Nangarhar 4,200 individuals were displaced from Chaparhar district as intraNSAGs clashes continued. In Mehtarlam and Alishang of Laghman 1,078 individuals were displaced to Mehtarlam city, due to military clashes between government and NSAGs. Cross border shelling from Pakistan in Sarkani district, Kunar, displaced 210 individuals. 66 artillery shells were fired on Khas Kunar of Kunar and Lal Pur district of Nangarhar. Eastern region recorded 12,329 verified IDPs since the start of the year; around 12 per cent of those displaced.
Central: Clashes between government forces and NSAGs increased during the past week. In Ghazni, Waghaz district centre was temporarily overran by NSAGs. The area is now back under ANSF control, no reported humanitarian consequences. 2,000 individuals have reportedly been displaced from Khas Uruzgan of Uruzgan to Jaghori and Malistan districts of Ghazni due to military operations. 1,389 individuals have arrived in Kabul city, displaced from Baghlan and Nangarhar due to clashes between NSAGs and government forces. 1,092 individuals have been displaced due to clashes between NSAGs and government forces from Nerkh and Jalrez districts in Maydan Wardak to the provincial capital Maydan Shahar. Assessments are underway for all the reported IDPs.
Refugees and Returnees
A total of 4,564 undocumented Afghans spontaneously returned or were deported from Pakistan through Torkham border crossing from 14-20 May, a 3% increase from the previous week, bringing the year total to 59,985. Since 1 January, 133,544 undocumented Afghans have also returned from Iran bringing the total returnee population in 2017 to 193,529.
As of 20 May, 24,073 registered Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan, Iran and other countries since the UNHCR Repatriation programme resumed in early April. Over 98 percent of all registered refugees returning to Afghanistan in 2017 are coming from Pakistan