Sleeping on roadsides, Afghans flee draught, hunger

Fleeing hunger and draught, hundreds of Afghans have taken to roadsides in the country's Herat province for a temporary shelter. They have set up small tents, spending the cold nights gathering around bonfire. Some 2,000 are sheltering here altogether. Many, like Rahima, come from other provinces in Afghanistan, including Ghor in the country's centre. "We fled because of the hunger and drought. We came here from the other provinces to find shelter, to live and to be helped," Rahima said. Nearly 4 million Afghans have already been displaced from their homes, including some 700,000 who fled this year. Most of them fled because of fighting and insecurity, but since fighting has largely stopped, people continued leaving villages and areas where there is no longer enough water. "We cry all nights from cold, hunger and from what has happened to us," said Jamila, who was sleeping with her child on the side of the road. Afghanistan is suffering from one of its worst droughts in the past two decades. Scarcity of snow and rain has heavily damaged the country's agriculture and those who depend on it. At the same time, the economy has all but collapsed, leaving millions unable to afford enough food for their families. The United Nations has sounded the alarm, saying hunger is reaching the proportions of a humanitarian disaster with 22% of Afghanistan's population of 38 million already near famine and another 36% facing acute food-insecurity. The displaced have been hit especially by the hunger and draught crises.