Geneva - At least one million Afghans who have fled fighting and drought face famine and a major humanitarian catastrophe is in the making, a senior UN official said yesterday. Mr Kenzo Oshima said, after returning from a tour of Afghanistan and Pakistan, there was an urgent need for help from the international community.
"We believe that at least one million people are at risk of famine," he said. Half of the refugees were crammed into camps inside the country and others in villages which aid workers could not reach. At least 170,000 people had crossed into Pakistan in recent months, and 700 were still crossing every day.