Statement by Displaced International on the Displacement of More Than 100,000 Afghans Amid Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Hostilities
Displaced International expresses grave concern over the escalating hostilities between Pakistan and the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, which have sharply intensified civilian suffering and displacement across already fragile border communities. According to the UN Refugee Agency, “around 100,000 people have been displaced since 28 February”, while OCHA has warned that hostilities along the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier have continued for a seventh straight day.
Displaced International is particularly alarmed by the mounting toll on civilians. UNAMA reported that, from the late evening of 26 February to 2 March 2026, it recorded at least 146 civilian casualties in Afghanistan, including 42 people killed, and OCHA’s Afghanistan Situation Update said that airstrikes and border clashes affected ten provinces from 26 February to 3 March. These developments are compounding the suffering of communities already living through one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises, with OCHA noting that Afghanistan will remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026.
We call for the immediate cessation of hostilities, maximum restraint by all sides, and urgent recourse to dialogue to de-escalate and resolve disputes peacefully. There is no military solution to a crisis that is steadily worsening the protection environment for civilians and deepening Afghanistan’s already severe humanitarian emergency. UNAMA has urged “an immediate halt to the fighting” and warned of increasing civilian casualties and humanitarian impacts.
Displaced International further calls for a rapid surge in emergency humanitarian assistance to the worst-affected areas, with priority given to the most vulnerable, including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and families displaced multiple times. Life-saving aid, including emergency shelter, food, medical assistance, protection services, and safe access to essential services, must be mobilized without delay and directed to those in greatest need. The United Nations has warned that humanitarian access to affected areas remains constrained.
Displaced International also calls on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its key member states to intensify and sustain mediation efforts in support of restraint, ceasefire, and peaceful conflict resolution. At a dangerous moment of escalation, sustained regional diplomacy is urgently needed to prevent further bloodshed and create conditions for a peaceful resolution of tensions.
Commenting on the crisis, Ambassador Ashraf Haidari, Founder and President of Displaced International, said: “The latest displacement of more than 100,000 Afghans is not only a humanitarian alarm; it is the predictable outcome of a deeper political failure that the international community, especially the United Nations, can no longer afford to manage piecemeal. What is urgently needed is meaningful UN-led conflict resolution that goes beyond temporary de-escalation and addresses the root causes of Afghanistan’s growing humanitarian crisis and its recurring tensions with neighbors. That must include serious international efforts to help restore inclusive and legitimate governance in Afghanistan, without which instability, displacement, and regional insecurity will only persist.”
Displaced International urges the United Nations, the OIC, and all concerned states to act with urgency, unity, and resolve to protect civilians, avert further displacement, and advance a credible pathway toward peaceful conflict resolution and lasting stability.
