Pakistani military operations in the Swat Valley, which the government claims are coming to an end, have produced one of the most significant humanitarian crises in recent memory – and one that is going largely unnoticed.
After just the second week of the offensive, some 95% of the region’s 3 million inhabitants were displaced. During the first week of operations, 1 million people were displaced, a figure that is roughly equal to one fourth of those displaced during the entire Iraq war.
The Pakistani government isn’t known for its forethought with regards to the displacement of civilians, as was demonstrated during last year’s much smaller offensive in the Bajaur Agency during which it carried out operations against a very small insurgent force. Those Bajauri that fled the fighting ended up in many of the same refugee camps that are now populated by Swatis that have fled.
To put the immensity of the crisis into context, it is the worst of its kind since the Rwandan crisis in the 90’s. But unlike Rwanda, the speed at which it has occurred is unprecedented.
The United Nations has issued a warning that those displaced are facing a situation that could result in significant deaths if the international community does not begin to take the situation seriously. At present, only 35% of the funding requested by the United Nations to deal with the problem has been met.
Not to be a skeptic, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. We are, after all, talking about The War on Terror. As far as the West is concerned, the specter of 9/11 still casts a pall over almost everything to do with it, which is most likely why the crisis in Pakistan has been so overlooked.
The Pakistani military is currently gearing up for another offensive in South Waziristan, which many believe will rival the scope of the Swat Valley operation. That said, thousands have already begun to flee the region fearing what is to come, most into areas that are completely unable to deal with an influx of refugees.
Unfortunately, it looks as though the problem is likely to get much worse.
