WORLD> Photo
New camps opened to house fleeing Pakistanis
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-09 13:56

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations has opened three new camps in Pakistan to house a continuing flow of families fleeing the fighting in north-west Pakistan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday.

New camps opened to house fleeing Pakistanis

Internally displaced children, who fled a military offensive in the Swat valley region, ride atop a vehicle going through the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) Yar Hussain camp in the Swabi district, about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Pakistan's capital Islamabad June 8, 2009. [Agencies]

But lack of funding is hampering the world body's ability to assist displaced persons, OCHA said.

The office said the newly-arrived displaced persons came from Lower Dir, Swat and Buner, in the North West Frontier Province, where the Pakistani army has been clashing with militants.

According to OCHA, Pakistani authorities have estimated that the number of persons displaced by the conflict exceeds 2.5 million, including 550,000 people who fled clashes in the area last year.

A UN appeal for $543 million to support the displaced persons, launched May 22, is about 25 percent funded, it said. Because of the shortfall, food supplies are secure only for June while drugs supplies will be depleted by the end of the month.

Funding is also urgently needed to cover health needs for the next six months, according to OCHA, with there being a shortage of hygiene kits and soap in camps for internally displaced persons.

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