Conflict forces a quarter of a million people from their homes in Pakistan as world turns blind eye to Khyber crisis

Intensifying conflict in Pakistan's Khyber Agency close to the border with Afghanistan has forced more than a quarter of a million people to flee their homes since January, warned Save the Children today. Thousands of families, including over 100,000 children, have not got enough food, water or shelter, and are vulnerable to disease.

A Pakistani military operation against suspected militant groups in the remote area has prompted an exodus of families desperate to escape the fighting, with increasing numbers fleeing their homes for the relative safety of displacement camps and host families in neighbouring areas.

Over the past week, an estimated 60,000 people have arrived at a single camp in Jolazi, and others have flooded into nearby towns and villages. Hundreds of thousands more are expected to follow in coming weeks, but despite the huge numbers of people on the move, the crisis has attracted very little international attention.

David Wright, Save the Children's Pakistan country director said: "Thousands of children are arriving, many of them deeply distressed by the conflict. Having fled for safety, their families are forced to choose between grim conditions in the camps or cramming into their relatives' homes. They urgently need help. We are already seeing rates of disease rise in the camps, and conditions outside are reported to be even worse. The world needs to wake up fast to this escalating crisis."

Most families are staying with relatives and friends in overcrowded households, which are already under strain following earlier crises. The continuing military operations mean it is unlikely that they will be able to return home in the near future. Save the Children and other aid agencies are on the ground, but with so little international attention, raising enough money to fund the response may prove very difficult.

Save the Children expects to spend at least $9m to help 200,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families. The aid agency will provide healthcare and basic hygiene kits to protect families from disease outbreaks, and is setting up safe places for children to play to help them recover from difficult experiences.  The charity is also distributing life-saving and life-sustaining supplies such as shelter kits, blankets, food and water to those displaced by the fighting.

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Save the Children has been working with children and families in Pakistan for more than 30 years.  The humanitarian agency provided assistance to those affected by Monsoon floods of 2011 and 2010, Tropical Storm Phet in June 2010, the conflict in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province in 2009, the flash floods in Peshawar, Kybery Agency and Rajanpur in August and December of 2008, and the massive earthquake in 2005.

Save the Children’s Country Director in Pakistan, David Wright, is available for interviews. Please contact our press officer, Faris Kasim, at +92 300 362 6592 to arrange for one.