

Over half a million people have been living in exile from their homes for over six


Most of those uprooted by the recent fighting in the (NWFP) come from the Lower Dir and Buner areas near the Swat Valley, but that an increasing number of people are arriving from Swat as well.



The government and international community predicting displacement on the scale of between 500,000 and one million additional people

The humanitarian response needs to be rapid; Most of the newly displaced families from places like Buner arrive with nothing. Sometimes they travel by foot for hours to reach safety and assistance. Many families from Swat are being displaced for the second time. The current emergency is potentially the biggest displacement crisis Pakistan has faced.

In many ways it is even more challenging than the earthquake in 2005, as the situation is so violent, unpredictable and changes so rapidly, The latest fighting comes after the collapse of a February 2009 peace agreement aimed at ending Taliban violence in Swat. Since then, Taliban militants have advanced into districts beyond Swat. The government launched new army campaigns to halt the offensive.
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