3 Uruzgan displaced children die in Ghazni cold

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Three children of a war-displaced family have died due to extreme cold in southern Ghazni province, the deceased children’s grandmother said Wednesday, fearing for other kids.

Some 24 families after being displaced by the conflict in Tirinkot, the capital of central Uruzgan province, arrived in Ghazni City about a month ago.

These families live in tents made of plastic mostly donated to them by other people.

Bibi Gul, an elderly woman in the families, told Pajhwok Afghan News her husband and a son were killed during clashes between Taliban and Afghan forces in Uruzgan.

 “We fled the war and came to Ghazni, but the cold weather here killed my three grandsons within a month,” she said.

She said they had no a breadwinner and were in serious economic problems.

“No one helped us, we live under the open sky, we have no food and cloths, I fear my other grandchildren would also meet the same fate,” she said. As she burst into tears, the grandmother said they needed urgent help.

Fatima, another displaced woman, said she lost 12 members of her family to the conflict in Uruzgan. “We four widows and our small children came here to save our lives.”

She also said they faced serious problems and were in need of immediate assistance. “We brought nothing with us and the weather is very cold here, our children face death, we need help,” she said.

Fatima said her children could not sleep all the night crying due to extreme cold.

Sayed Mohammad, a displaced man, said: “We are 24 families from Uruzgan, and reside here.”

He said they had requested the Refugees and Repatriation Department for help on a daily basis, but to no avail.

“No one recognizes us as displaced families, the refugees department does not allow us to enter there,” he grumbled.

Mohammad also complained about Ghazni people and said  “cold weather killed many of our children but Ghazni people did not allow us to bury them in a nearby graveyard and finally police came and they helped us in burring the bodies.”

The displaced families urged the government to help them before the start of winter snowfall otherwise all their children would die in cold weather.

Provincial refugees and repatriation director refused to comment about the issue. “I do not talk to media because I have no good memories of it,” he said.

However, governor’s spokesman, Mohammad Arif Noori, said they had a plan to assist the displaced families. He also called on charity organizations to help the affected people in the province.

Hundreds of displaced families currently live in Ghazni capital and they are in urgent need of help.

mds/ma