21 September 2001U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Afghans Tops $170 Million in FY '01
(NGO food distribution network severely hampered by Taliban) (610) By Susan Domowitz Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- The U.S. contributed over $170 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghans this year, according to a report published September 20 by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The U.S. has traditionally been the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghans. USAID reports it is increasingly difficult for this aid to reach those inside Afghanistan who need it most, because the Taliban have seriously hampered the work of the international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which distribute the food. Despite a worsening humanitarian situation, in August the Taliban stepped up their disruption of international aid agencies and NGOs by arresting eight international aid workers, expelling the staff of two additional NGOs, and issuing a warning that other aid organizations would be investigated. U.S. government assistance to Afghans, which includes food, shelter, and medical supplies, is not given to the ruling Taliban faction, but is distributed through a network of international NGOs working in Afghanistan, and among Afghan refugee populations in neighboring countries. U.S. assistance goes to all Afghans, both those living in areas controlled by the Taliban and those living in areas under Northern Alliance control. Following the September 11 terrorist attack against the United States, all international staff of U.N. agencies, as well as those of most NGOs, left Afghanistan, leaving the status of many international assistance programs unclear. Food distribution continues to be carried out by local staff, but there is concern that these programs will be disrupted, as local staff themselves become internally displaced persons. The U.S. remains committed to assisting vulnerable Afghans, despite the departure of international humanitarian personnel from Afghanistan. U.S. food aid for the region will continue in transit, as a contingency in case access to Afghanistan opens up again, or in the event that refugee arrivals in neighboring countries generate new emergency food requirements there, according to the USAID report. Because of the disruption to assistance programs inside Afghanistan caused by the departure of humanitarian aid workers, the U.S. is now focusing its efforts on providing assistance to Afghan refugees in neighboring countries, according to U.S. officials. The State Department recently gave $2 million to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to be used to meet emergency requirements. Since September 11, an estimated one to two million Afghan refugees have been moving towards Afghanistan's borders. According to the UNHCR, 15,000 Afghans have arrived in Pakistan in the last ten days. In the last twelve months, civil strife and drought have driven an estimated 180,000 new refugees into Pakistan. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Afghanistan number close to one million. An estimated 2.6 million refugees from the Soviet occupation era remain outside Afghanistan's borders in Iran and Pakistan, according to the UNHCR. The USAID report says the UN World Food Program (WFP) has approximately two weeks worth of food stocks remaining in Afghanistan. No new food assistance is coming into Afghanistan due to border closures, fuel shortages, and lack of commercial trucks. The International Red Cross (ICRC), one of the recipients of US government assistance for Afghans, is still at work in Afghanistan, even though it has removed its expatriate staff. On September 16, after assessing the security situation, and being informed by the Taliban authorities that they could not guarantee the safety of foreign aid workers, the ICRC withdrew its last 16 expatriates in Afghanistan. ICRC staff, currently based in Pakistan, are evaluating the possibilities of bringing in assistance through Turkmenistan and Iran. The U.S. government channeled approximately $5.8 million in Afghan humanitarian assistance through the ICRC this year. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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