Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in central Khost province are calling for support to meet their essential needs.

These IDPs say that lack of access to clean drinking water and electricity are other serious challenges they face.
The IDP camp in the Shamal Farari area, located in the center of Khost, houses around 400 families, many of whom are in extremely difficult economic conditions.

Shari Zazi, an IDP, said, “They come and take down names, but we have not seen any help. We don't know if someone is selling it off or if we’re just not counted among the displaced. These people are all suffering—widows, orphans, and people without land or homes in their villages.”

Another IDP, Mohammad Jan, added, “Many people here rely on one or two kilos of flour to cook meals at night. We have not received any substantial aid, and if any has come, it only reached five families and was very little.”

Musa Gul, an IDP, pointed to water issues, saying, “Our water is very unsafe. We dug a well, but it’s shallow and highly contaminated.”

Several other IDPs report that their area has no school, and due to economic hardships, they cannot enroll their children in private schools.

Mustafa, another IDP, said, “All these children are uneducated and do not attend school. We want a public school to be built here. Private schools are too expensive, and people cannot afford them.”

Another IDP, Ghazni Gul, added, “We live five kilometers from Khost city, but some here still don’t have electricity and face many challenges. The road is bad, and there is no school here.”

Rozi Gul, another IDP, described the housing conditions: “They’ve given us simple rooms made of blocks and weak wood, costing 186,000 afghani each. During the rains, people are worried water accumulates between the houses with no drainage.”

The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations stated that they have initiated a process to return IDPs to their areas and will provide the necessary facilities.

Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the ministry, said: “Our priority is to return these people to their areas, and if it’s not viable, we are in continuous contact with partner agencies. Last week, we signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education to provide educational facilities and basic needs in the camps.”

The ministry reports that there are currently 3 million internally displaced families across the country, most residing in Kabul.