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Tens of Thousands Flee Orakzai Agency

21/12/09December 21, 2009

Pakistan's army has claimed that it has taken complete control of the South Waziristan tribal agency and driven out the Taliban. But where will the army turn its attention now? Many militants who left South Waziristan during the military onslaught are believed to be hiding in other tribal agencies, including North Waziristan and Orakzai. And as the Prime Minister has said that Orakzai will be the next target, thousands of refugees have already begun to flee the area.

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Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has a strong base in Orakzai
Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has a strong base in OrakzaiImage: dpa

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani recently hinted that the army might shift its focus to Orakzai, southwest of Peshawar, after having successfully completed the previous anti-Taliban operations in Swat and, most recently, South Waziristan.

A large number of people have already been shifted from Orakzai to the neighbouring districts of Hangu and Kohat, although there has been no official announcement of the military operation.

Up to 80,000 refugees expected

Manuel Bessler, Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Islamabad, said, "we have about 40,000 individuals that were displaced during the recent upsurge of the fighting in the Orakzai Agency. We expect up to 80,000 displaced people. It depends very much on the course of the military operations, how extensive they are, how long they continue."

So far, no formal registration has taken place but discussions are currently going on to start formal registration for the internally displaced persons from Orakzai Agency in the coming days.

Work for the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies in Orakzai will not be easy. "The challenges are several and quite difficult ones", Manuel Bessler said. "First of all it is access to go to the area. It's not impossible but it's more difficult. We have to be in close contact with the local authorities. We have to constantly monitor the security situation, so access is the first challenge. Secondly, we have to have appropriate sites where we can host displaced people. This is a challenge in terms of logistics and has, of course, to be closely coordinated with the district authorities."

Preparations under way

The United Nations already had to assist a large number of displaced people in Pakistan earlier this year. Mr Bessler said this makes its task easier in certain ways: "The humanitarian community consisting of UN, UN agencies but also quite importantly of international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has worked in the country for quite a while, and had to cope with the huge displacement crisis in summer of this year from the Malakand Division, where we had (around end of May - June) 2.7 million displaced people. We are quite well prepared. There are stocks available of relief item: tents, mattresses, kitchen sets, quilts."

As the government of Pakistan is heading to a new war front to eradicate militancy, observers say the relief and rehabilition of IDPs must not be ignored. Otherwise, many might easily be recruited by militants.

Author: Nazia Jabeen
Editor: Anne Thomas