Decision: Not to activate the DERF to respond to the Escalation of Afghanistan–Pakistan border hostilities triggering new internal displacement in Eastern and South-Eastern Afghanistan
Reason:
DERF considers the situation in eastern and south-eastern Afghanistan with serious concern and assesses that there are significant humanitarian needs. The crisis represents a sudden escalation within an already protracted humanitarian context, where intensified hostilities since late February 2026 have led to internal displacement, civilian casualties, and damage to homes and critical infrastructure. This has disrupted access to health services, food, and humanitarian assistance, leaving particularly vulnerable groups in an acutely exposed situation.
However, as Afghanistan is included in the recently launched call 26-007-SP-Emergency Humanitarian Assistance in the Middle East, opened by DERF on 18 March, it is possible to apply for funding for interventions in Afghanistan through this call. Consequently, this alert is not taken forward, as the response can be addressed within the framework of the existing call.
Alert:
Since late February 2026, intensified cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan have triggered a sharp spike in Afghanistan’s protracted humanitarian crisis. Artillery shelling, airstrikes, and ground clashes along the Durand Line have displaced approximately 16,370 families (around 114,590 people) across eastern provinces including Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Nuristan. Many displaced families are currently sheltering in temporary locations, informal settlements, or with host communities, often with limited access to basic services such as shelter, healthcare, water, and sanitation. Rapid field assessments conducted by Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO), together with information from UN OCHA and humanitarian partners, confirm large-scale displacement and urgent humanitarian needs in affected border districts. Vulnerable groups—including women, children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households—face heightened protection risks and limited access to assistance. The figures presented are based on the most recent verified information available at the time of reporting. However, humanitarian access to several affected areas remains limited and assessments are ongoing; therefore, the current estimates may not fully capture the total number of displaced and affected people. Immediate humanitarian support is required to address urgent needs—including emergency shelter, multipurpose cash assistance, healthcare, WASH services, and protection support—while larger humanitarian response mechanisms are being mobilised.