28 September 2001
Fact Sheet: USAID's Emergency Report on Afghanistan, Sept. 27
(U.S. humanitarian aid rises to almost $184 million) (3,180)
Twenty years of war and civil strife and three years of drought have
created a mounting humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, with refugees
and displaced persons numbering in the millions, according to a
September 27 fact sheet from the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
U.S. assistance to the various UN agencies and non-government
organizations providing aid in the region rose to almost $183.7
million in recent days. International staffs of most relief agencies
have withdrawn from Afghanistan because of high risks, while the
Taliban has prohibited virtually all communications outside
Afghanistan. The Taliban move has "made it impossible to manage
programs and ensure the safety of staff," according to the USAID fact
sheet.
On September 25, according to the fact sheet, the UN World Food
Program announced that it was resuming food shipments into northern
and western Afghanistan via Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
The following terms are used in the fact sheet:
DART: Disaster Assistance Response Team
ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross
INL: Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs,
U.S. State Department
PRM: Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. State
Department
Following is the text of the USAID fact sheet
(begin fact sheet)
The United States Agency for International Development
Afghanistan -- Complex Emergency Situation Report #3
(FY 2001) September 27, 2001
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
Background
Two decades of war in Afghanistan, including a decade-long Soviet
occupation and ensuing civil strife, have left Afghanistan
impoverished and mired in an extended humanitarian crisis. Government
infrastructure, including the ability to deliver the most basic
health, education, and other social services, has collapsed.
Significant resources are directed to the war effort. Severe
restrictions by the Taliban, including a restriction on women working
outside the home, have added to the impact of poverty, particularly on
the many households lacking able-bodied adult men. The Taliban now
controls about 90 percent of Afghanistan's territory.
Humanitarian prospects worsened sharply in Afghanistan in September
2001 due to developments both inside and outside the country. Osama
bin Laden, who currently resides in Afghanistan under Taliban
protection, is the leading suspect in the September 11 terrorist
attack against the United States. Fears of a possible U.S. reprisal
have triggered a population exodus from major Afghan cities, both
towards other points in Afghanistan and towards the country's borders.
International staff of most relief agencies have also withdrawn,
leaving the status of relief programs in question at a critical
moment. In addition, even prior to the September 11 there were signs
that relations between the international community and the Taliban
were worsening significantly. These new developments have added to an
existing crisis of extensive displacement stemming from civil conflict
and a debilitating three-year drought.
Numbers Affected at a Glance
Since September 11, large-scale population movements inside
Afghanistan have been reported, particularly from the cities of Kabul,
Kandahar, and Jalalabad. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) has reported 15,000 new arrivals in Pakistan since September
11, and up to 20,000 Afghans waiting on the Afghan side of the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Since September 2000, civil strife and drought have driven an
estimated 180,000 new refugees into Pakistan. The United Nations
estimates that drought and conflict-affected internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan number at least 900,000. Longer-term
conflict-displaced estimates are as high as one million countrywide.
Drought has affected at least 12 million Afghans. An estimated 2.6
million old caseload refugees from the Soviet occupation era remain
outside Afghanistan's borders in Iran and Pakistan, according to
UNHCR. Afghanistan's total population is estimated at nearly 26
million
Total FY 2001 USG Assistance to Afghanistan...............
$183,648,477
Current Situation
National Overview. During the week of September 20 -- 26, populations
continued to leave the major Afghan cities of Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat,
and Kandahar in fear of a possible U.S. attack. Taliban recruitment
efforts in Kabul and Herat were reportedly an additional factor in
displacement. Despite the continuing exodus, there were reports that
some Afghan heads of household were returning to these cities as fear
of an imminent attack subsided, and in an effort to prevent looting.
In a funding appeal presented to donors September 26, UNHCR said it
was preparing for an influx of up to 1 million refugees into Pakistan;
400,000 into Iran; 50,000 into Tajikistan; and 50,000 into
Turkmenistan. It said it was also making additional contingency plans
to supply aid to 500,000 people inside Afghanistan, if the necessity
arises.
A new edict issued by the Taliban banned almost all communications
with entities outside Afghanistan, particularly via satellite phones.
The edict threatened to severely impact international humanitarian
programs following the exodus of nearly all international relief
workers. Most international relief programs in Taliban-controlled
areas have been run by international agencies outside Afghanistan via
telecommunications with local staffs; the communications ban, enforced
by the threat of hanging, made it impossible to manage programs and
ensure the safety of staff. The exception to the near-total
communication ban was Herat, where the U.N. was permitted use of one
radio set under Taliban supervision. The U.N. has formally sought
permission to operate at least one high frequency radio in each field
office in each location, but to date there has been no conclusive
response.
Political Developments. The isolation of the Taliban deepened during
the preceding week as first the United Arab Emirates and then Saudi
Arabia withdrew diplomatic relations. These moves left Pakistan as the
only country still maintaining diplomatic relations with the Taliban.
Pakistan, a key base of operations for many humanitarian agencies
working in Afghanistan, experienced a nationwide strike and
anti-American demonstrations on Friday, September 21. Some violence
was reported, notably in Karachi, where two people were killed.
However, violence was less than feared. The international staff of
some relief agencies in Pakistan had left the country fearing violence
as the result of ongoing developments in Afghanistan; however, such
departures appear to have stopped.
Refugees -- Pakistan. As of September 25, UNHCR continued to report
that up to 15,000 Afghans had arrived in Pakistan. Of these, 10,000
have found shelter in host families in and around Quetta, and another
5,000 are encamped near the Chaman border crossing. An additional
group of Afghans numbering up to 20,000 was waiting on the Afghan side
of the border at Chaman. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) has kept the
borders closed to refugees, but has stated that it would assist those
who arrive despite the closure. According to UNHCR, Pakistani
officials are also considering allowing women, children and elderly
persons to cross at Chaman.
UNHCR reported September 24 that it would move the 5,000 Afghans
encamped in Pakistan near Chaman to a point further from the border
for screening. UNHCR will then transport them to a former refugee
settlement, currently empty, at Dara. UNHCR believes this site could
accommodate up to 20,000 people. In the North West Frontier Province,
joint UNHCR/GOP teams began inspecting possible reception sites on
September 26. Officials there have already designated 100 sites for
Afghan refugees that could accommodate up to one million people,
according to UNHCR. UNHCR plans to preposition blankets and other
relief items once the site survey is complete. It is expected that
camps could be operational within seven to ten days.
Refugees -- Iran. According to UNHCR, there have been no new reports
of refugees arriving in Iran. A total of 500 new refugees have arrived
since the events of September 11, while 1,000 Afghans were reported to
be gathering along the Afghan side of the border at Zaranj, west of
Kandahar. Iran's border remains officially closed to refugees.
As of September 25, UNHCR and the Government of Iran had identified 12
sites in Khorassan and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces to house a
potential refugee influx. Iran has also set up eight camps inside
Afghanistan to accommodate Afghans moving towards the border,
according to IRNA, the official Iranian news agency.
Refugees -- Tajikistan. . Some 10,000 IDPs who have resided on islands
in the Pyandj River along the Afghan-Tajik border after a successful
Taliban offensive in Takhar Province in September 2000 remain in
place, according to UNHCR. Tajikistan's border has remained closed to
this population, as well as to any other refugees, and Tajikistan's
government has re-asserted that Tajikistan is unable to accept new
arrivals due to conditions there. Tajikistan is currently experiencing
a severe drought that has affected up to one million people.
Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations warned that up to 300,000
Afghans may flee to the former Soviet Central Asian republics,
including Tajikistan, according to an Agence France-Presse report.
Russian officials planned to hold discussions with Tajik officials
about the situation, according to the report.
Central, Southern, and Eastern Regions. According to the U.N. Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), up to 50
percent of Kabul's population may have left the city towards rural
areas. However, as of September 25 there were also reports of people
returning, apparently due to diminishing fears of an imminent attack
coupled with concern regarding possible looters.
In Kandahar, Taliban officials entered U.N. and relief agency offices,
asked staff to leave, and seized equipment. Two mine action agencies
were affected. Demining activities in Afghanistan have ceased.
An estimated 100,000 people, or roughly half of Kandahar's population,
have left for rural areas and towards the Pakistan border since
September 11, according to UNOCHA. According to UNOCHA, there were an
estimated 200,000 IDPs in Kandahar prior to September 11.
UNOCHA reported September 19 that up to 65 percent of Jalalabad's
population may have left, mostly to remote villages in the region or
to border areas in the hopes of crossing into Pakistan. Jalalabad's
population is estimated at roughly 250,000 in a 1999 World Food
Program (WFP) Vulnerability Assessment Mapping (VAM) report. Since
then, UNOCHA has reported that people have continued to leave, but
exact numbers are not known.
Northern Region. Action Against Hunger (AAH) reported on September 23
that there are now 30 spontaneous camps in and around the northern
city of Mazar-e-Sharif, hosting approximately 100,000 IDPs. Most IDPs
in the region are displaced due to drought or conflict, rather than
developments related to the events of September 11.
According to UNOCHA, relief activities on a limited basis have
continued in the Northern Region. Assistance includes tents
distributed to 7,000 IDPs by local staff of NGOs outside
Mazar-e-Sharif. In the Sakhi IDP camp, a two-month dry food ration was
distributed to IDPs on September 23, according to UNOCHA. UNOCHA
reported that local NGO staff also plan to distribute food to 5,000
vulnerable families in the Alburz Mountain region of Balkh Province,
as well as 10,000 IDP families around Mazar-e-Sharif. The condition of
these IDPs remains a serious concern, according to UNOCHA, due to the
fact that they arrived at their current locations with no possessions
and very limited ability to cope. According to UNOCHA, WFP-supported
bakeries in Mazar-e-Sharif are still operational.
Northeast. There have been no reports of population movements in the
relatively small Northern Alliance-controlled Northeastern Region to
date. IDPs in the Northeastern Region number an estimated 84,000,
according to UNOCHA; the leading cause of displacement has been
conflict.
Western Region. UNOCHA reported September 25 that Taliban recruitment
efforts in Herat are generating increasing concern among the civilian
population of Herat and surrounding provinces. Population movements
out of Herat have been reported, but exact figures are not available.
The IDP influx to Herat, which during the summer months sometimes
reached 300 persons per day, has virtually stopped. Reportedly, IDPs
are beginning to leave Herat's camps for home areas. Relief activities
in Herat continue, including ongoing shelter activities through
USAID/OFDA-supported Shelter Now International/US and IOM.
Food Security. On September 25, WFP announced that it was resuming
food shipments into Afghanistan. WFP had stopped shipments following
the events of September 11, citing to the closure of the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border, fuel shortages, and a lack of commercial
trucks. WFP food aid will be delivered to Afghanistan's northern and
western provinces via Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. WFP is also
exploring the possibility of food aid deliveries to Afghanistan's
western provinces through Iran.
USG food aid for the region is continuing in transit to the region to
assist vulnerable Afghans in accessible areas of Afghanistan, as well
as for Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.
USG Humanitarian Assistance On September 22, 2000, Former Assistant
Secretary Karl F. Inderfurth re-declared a complex humanitarian
disaster in Afghanistan for FY 2001. In addition, U.S. Ambassador to
Pakistan William B. Milam issued a disaster declaration for Afghan
refugees in Pakistan on February 2, 2001. To date, FY 2001 USG
humanitarian assistance provided by USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP, USDA, the
Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(State/PRM), the joint Department of State/Department of Defense
Demining Program, the Department of State's Bureau International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (State/INL) and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) totals $183,648,477, including both assistance
inside Afghanistan and assistance to Afghan refugees in neighboring
countries.
Despite the pullout of international humanitarian personnel from
Afghanistan, the USG remains committed to assisting vulnerable
Afghans.
USAID/OFDA Assistance
At this time, all expatriate staff of USAID/OFDA grantees have left
Afghanistan. Some grantees are attempting to continue programs with
local staff. USAID/OFDA is working with its grantees to determine the
status of programs. Operational difficulties are currently preventing
the provision of assistance to Afghanistan.
Personnel To respond to the Afghanistan crisis, USAID/OFDA deployed
DART to Pakistan on June 17. The DART continues to operate in
Islamabad. The DART is coordinating with the Pakistan-based
Afghanistan relief community, including USG partners.
In April 2001, USAID/OFDA and State/PRM deployed an assessment team to
western and northern Afghanistan including Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif to
assess drought and nutrition conditions in affected areas.
Airlifts First Airlift to Herat -- 30,000 blankets from USAID/OFDA's
stockpile to ICRC for drought-affected families in Ghor (including
transport) $250,841
Second and third airlifts to Herat -- 610 tents, 17,500 blankets,
4,800 five-gallon water jugs, four metric tons of high-protein
biscuits, and three modified World Health Organization kits, each with
sufficient supplies to treat 1,000 people for one month, via two
USAID/OFDA-chartered planes on February 9 and 16 (including transport)
$650,850
Airlift to Peshawar -- 500 tents, 5,000 blankets and 100 rolls of
plastic sheeting from USAID/OFDA's stockpile for consignment to IRC
for use in the Jalozai and Shamshatoo Afghan refugee camps, plus two
health kits (including transport) $239,000
Grants
-- Action Contre la Faim (ACF) -- health, nutrition, and health
education for 530,000 beneficiaries in Kabul and surrounding areas
$1,483,000
-- ACTED -- IDP camp management and support in Baghlan $200,000
-- ACTED -- support via USAID/Almaty for shelter and nonfood
assistance to Afghan IDPs. $50,000
-- CARE/US -- food assistance for drought-affected populations in
central, western, and southern Afghanistan. $1,235,000
-- CARE/US -- livelihoods support for drought-affected populations in
Wardak and Ghazni. $1,384,618
-- CARE/US -- water supply and health education in Kabul $423,901 --
FAO -- seed multiplication $250,000
-- GOAL -- shelter, infrastructure, and agriculture
displacement-prevention activities in Samangan $400,000
-- International Medical Aid (IMA) -- health in Bamiyan and Samangan.
$299,870 -- International Medical Corps (IMC) -- health assistance for
IDPs and local residents in Herat. $1,135,000
-- IRC -- IDP assistance in partnership with local NGOs, including
management and support for Sakhi camp for 5,000 families in
Mazar-e-Sharif 1,000,000
-- IRC -- support for distribution of USAID/OFDA airlifted relief
commodities for Pakistan's Jalozai and Shamshatoo camps $50,000
-- Mercy Corps International (MCI) -- emergency water relief and
agricultural livelihoods support aimed at preventing displacement in
Helmand. $428,666
-- MCI -- assistance to 3,000 war-affected IDPs with nonfood relief
commodities to meet basic heating, lighting, and cooking needs in
Takhar and Badakshan. $1,494,000
-- MCI -- support to vulnerable populations affected by the Taliban
poppy ban in the Helmand Valley $250,000
-- Save the Children/US (SC/US) -- drought-related relief activities
in a range of sectors, including health with a focus on maternal and
child care; winterization for IDPs; and cash-for-work drought
activities including well and kareze repair and digging; and wheat
seed distribution. Benefits populations in Andkhoi, Faryab;
Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh; and Kabul $1,500,000
-- SC/US -- nutrition surveillance in northern Afghanistan $306,488
-- Shelter Now International (SNI/US) -- food and nonfood assistance
to support host families sheltering 5,650 war-affected IDPs in the
Rostaq area of Takhar $320,400
-- SNI/US -- food-for-work construction of 4200 shelters plus
water/sanitation support in Herat's Maslakh IDP camp $1,500,000
-- Shuhada -- health worker training in the Hazarajat region $70,000
-- UNCHS/Habitat -- shelter for 12,500 IDP families in Herat.
$1,000,000
-- UNCHS/Habitat -- urban community-based drought and displacement
response countrywide $500,000
-- UNCHS/Habitat -- emergency solid waste collection in Kabul,
Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Herat, and Farah $362,727
-- UNICEF -- nutrition surveillance, health, and water/sanitation
activities country-wide $1,000,000
-- UNOCHA -support for the purchase of nonfood relief commodities for
IDPs ($200,000); support for WFP-managed food programs and
implementing partners ($300,000); and support for continued air
transport services for humanitarian goods and cargo ($100,000).
$600,000
-- UNOCHA -- support for humanitarian coordination. $600,000
Total USAID/OFDA FY 2001...... $18,934,362
USAID/FFP
-- WFP -- 63,810 MT of P.L. 480 Title II wheat and complementary
commodities, including a contribution for Afghan refugees in Pakistan
of 4,000 MT valued at $1.9 million
Total USAID/FFP FY 2001...... $31,200,000
USAID/Democracy & Governance
-- UNCHS/Habitat -- assistance for rebuilding communities for Afghan
refugees and refugees in Pakistan and Afghanistan $200,000
-- International Human Rights Law Group -- support for Afghan refugee
women in Pakistan $250,000
Total USAID/DG...... $450,000
USDA
-- WFP -- 240,200 MT of 416(b) wheat
Total USDA FY 2001...... $99,800,000
State/PRM (Note: State/PRM contributions to ICRC and UNHCR are for
regional programs. Figures for Afghanistan-specific activities are
estimates based on a percentage of the regional total.)
-- ICRC -- State/PRM provides $9.8 million support for South Asia
activities, a portion of which supports victims of conflict in
Afghanistan $6,900,000
-- UNHCR -- State/PRM provides $17.5 million in support of UNHCR's
South Asia programs, a portion of which goes to programs benefiting
Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran, as well as returnees in
Afghanistan. $15,135,000
-- UNOCHA -- State/PRM contribution for field coordination efforts in
Afghanistan $1,000,000
-- Support to NGO programs benefiting Afghans. $5,309,590
Total State/PRM FY 2001...... $28,344,590
State/Humanitarian Demining (HDP) The U.S. Humanitarian Demining
Program provides $1.1 million in support of HALO Trust, a British
demining organization, and $1.7 million in financial and in-kind
contributions to the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan.
Total State/HDP FY 2001...... $2,800,000
State/INL U.N. Drug Control Program (UNDCP) -- assistance with crop
substitution for former poppy farmers affected by the Taliban poppy
ban in Nangarhar.
Total State/INL FY 2001...... $1,500,000
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) UNICEF -- support for polio
eradication in Afghanistan.
Total CDC FY 2001 ......$569,525
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 2001 ......$183,648,477
USAID/OFDA fact sheets can be obtained from the USAID web site at
http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/situation.html
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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