06 November 2001
Text: USAID Cites Continued Security Problems in Afghanistan
(Fact sheet reports increasing food deliveries) (3650)
Security problems inside Afghanistan continue to be a major concern of
international aid agencies with looting and armed occupation of their
offices increasingly common, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) says.
Nevertheless, daily food aid transportation into Afghanistan has been
steadily increasing with a total of 27,311 metric tons delivered to
Afghanistan since September 11, according to a November 1 USAID fact
sheet.
Delivery of relief commodities continued in western and northern
Afghanistan with 13,000 blankets expected to arrive in Heart. Three
thousand quilts that had escaped looting in Mazar-e-Sharif were to be
delivered to internally displaced persons camps in Kunduz.
Population movements towards Afghanistan's borders continued while
Taliban forces reportedly engaged in forced recruitment and efforts to
prevent people from fleeing the country. Despite increased numbers of
refugees in Pakistan, these numbers fell short of the 1.5 million
projected by contingency planners.
However, Afghans arriving at refugee camps in Pakistan are reporting
cases of severe malnutrition and dysentery, according to the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees.
Following is USAIDs November 1 latest fact sheet:
(begin text)
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
Central Asia Region-Complex Emergency
Situation Report #5, Fiscal Year (FY 2002), November 1, 2001
Note: this Situation Report updates previous Central Asia Task Force
Situation Reports and Fact Sheets.
Situation Report #5 (FY 2002)
November 1, 2001
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
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 resides in Afghanistan under Taliban protection, is the
leading suspect in the September 11 terrorist attack against the
United States. Fears of a U.S. reprisal triggered a population exodus
from major Afghan cities, both towards other points in Afghanistan and
towards the country's borders. The beginning of U.S. air strikes on
October 7 caused additional movement. International staff of all
relief agencies withdrew after September
Afghanistan Numbers Affected at a Glance
Total population (CIA Factbook). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26,813,057
Refugees Since September 11, 2001 (UNHCR)
Pakistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80,000 -
110,000
Iran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unknown
Refugees Since September 2000 (UNHCR)
Pakistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152,000
Old Caseload Refugees (UNHCR)
Iran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,500,000
Pakistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2,000,000
Internally Displaced (U.N.)
Since September 11, 2001. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
180,000
Since 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,100,000
Old caseload. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1,000,000
Total FY 2001/2002 U.S. Government (USG) Assistance to Afghanistan
$292,972,370 (1)
Total FY 2001/2002 USG Assistance to Tajikistan. . . . . . . . . .
$68,208,180
(1) Note: this figure has been reduced from the October 31, 2001
figure of $294,055,970 due to a discrepancy in reporting of the total
number of Humanitarian Daily Rations dropped as of that date. See DOD
Funding for details.
Current Situation
Overview. Food aid, delivered in massive quantities by the U.N. World
Food Program (WFP) despite ongoing conflict, and through U.S.
airdrops, continued to flow into Afghanistan in increasing quantities.
Nonfood relief commodities continued to arrive in Afghanistan as well.
Population movements towards Afghanistan's borders continued, while
Taliban forces reportedly engaged in forced recruitment as well as
blocking efforts to flee the country. Despite increased refugee
numbers in Pakistan, outflows still fell far short of the 1.5 million
to surrounding countries envisioned by contingency planners.
Reports of the Taliban using civilian populations and structures as
human shields continued, as Taliban forces continued to move military
equipment and personnel into civilian structures including mosques and
schools.
Political/Military. In what some sources described as a serious
setback for efforts to establish a broad-based post-Taliban government
inside Afghanistan, opposition leader Abdul Haq was captured and
killed by the Taliban after a brief foray into southeastern
Afghanistan. Haq was a prominent Pashtun leader who had achieved hero
status in Afghanistan due to his role in the war against the Soviet
occupation in the 1980s.
Food Aid. As of October 31, WFP had enough food aid in Afghanistan and
the region to feed more than 10 million people for one month (see
table). Despite the ongoing war, food deliveries into Afghanistan, as
well as distributions to beneficiaries, continued. According to WFP,
distribution of food aid to beneficiaries inside Afghanistan during
the month of October totaled 21,933 metric tons (MT) for more than 2.6
million beneficiaries. Since September 11, WFP has distributed a total
of 34,341 MT of food aid inside Afghanistan. The daily rate of food
aid transport into Afghanistan has steadily increased; between October
28 and October 29, WFP transported 3,910 MT into the country. In
total, WFP has delivered 27,311 MT of food into Afghanistan since
September 11.
In Northern Alliance-held territory, food is reportedly available in
all local commercial centers, although prices have been increasing.
Prices in the northeast have generally been higher than the rest of
the country, due to war and accessibility issues.
Current WFP Food Aid Stocks
Location Quantity (MT) Beneficiaries
Afghanistan 9,136 1,096,296
Region 84,536 10,144,313
Total 93,672
Pakistan. Although the border officially remained closed, Afghans
continued to cross into Pakistan, bringing the total number of Afghan
refugees since September 11 to an estimated 80,000 to 110,000. The
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that it would
begin using 15 campsites under development in Pakistan to accommodate
up to 150,000 people.
UNHCR reported October 31 that it had reached agreement with President
Pervez Musharraf to continue to admit Afghans under certain categories
of vulnerability, which include elderly and sick persons. UNHCR is
seeking to expand the categories to include those fleeing forced
recruitment efforts. UNHCR also reported that it has reached agreement
with the Government of Pakistan that the thousands of "invisible
refugees" who have crossed into Pakistan through informal crossings
should receive assistance, if possible, preferably in camp settings.
The Killi Faizo temporary staging site near the Chaman border crossing
in Baluchistan filled steadily this week to a total of 1,900 people,
exceeding the site's maximum capacity. According to UNHCR, local
authorities suspended registration and refused new arrivals, sending
them back across the border to a Taliban-administered site at Spin
Boldak. UNHCR is negotiating to open a new site nearby the Killi Faizo
site in Pakistan. UNHCR reported that a number of the new arrivals
were severely sick or malnourished, and MSF-Holland treated over 100
patients on October 31. UNHCR provided tents, blankets, cooking
utensils and other non-food items, WFP supplied food, and Oxfam
provided water facilities at the site.
UNHCR Contingency Sites in Pakistan
Location Capacity Pop.
Roghani/Tor Tangi (Baluch.) 50,000
Killi Faizo (Baluch.) 1,600 1,900
Mohmand/Khyber (NWFP) 22,000
Iran. In western Afghanistan, Makaki, a camp operated in a
Taliban-controlled area of Nimroz Province by the Iranian Red Crescent
Society (IRCS), has now reportedly reached its 6,000-person capacity,
according to UNHCR. Iranian authorities are hoping to transfer some of
the new arrivals to Mile 46, a camp in a Northern Alliance-controlled
portion of Nimroz. UNHCR has expressed concerns regarding the safety
of the Iranian camps inside Afghanistan. Many Afghans have expressed
fears of forced round-ups by the Taliban near the Iranian border, as
well as fears of being used as human shields by Taliban forces.
Shelter and water supplies at the sites are also reportedly
insufficient.
Iran/IRCS IDP Sites in Afghanistan
Location Capacity Population
Makaki (Nimroz) 6,000 7,800
Mile 46 632
Total 6,632
Afghanistan. On October 30, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reiterated a warning that up to 500,000
internally displaced persons (IDPs) throughout Taliban-held areas of
the Northern Region are living under very poor conditions. The area,
which has suffered the combined effects of both drought and war, was
already considered to be Afghanistan's worst affected and least served
area prior to September 11. Fighting between the Northern Alliance and
Taliban forces in southern Balkh province has reportedly driven IDPs
living in spontaneous settlements towards the outskirts of
Mazar-e-Sharif, the region's major city and Balkh's provincial
capital. By some accounts there are now at least 11 camps in the
vicinity of Mazar-e-Sharif.
In southern Afghanistan, there are now reportedly some 3,000 IDPs at a
Taliban-run camp at Spin Boldak, near the Pakistan border. Afghans
arriving in Pakistan have reported cases of severe malnutrition and
dysentery at the site. The health conditions of some new arrivals
appeared to confirm this, according to UNHCR. New arrivals also
reported that Taliban forces were preventing Afghans from leaving the
country, including those in urgent need of medical attention. On
October 31, armed Taliban forces seized a UNHCR field office at Spin
Boldak, just hours after a meeting between the U.N. High Commissioner
and the Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan, in which the High Commissioner
asked that the Taliban stop interfering with UNHCR property and staff.
Delivery of relief commodities continued in western and northern
Afghanistan. UNOCHA reported that an IOM convoy from Mashad, Iran was
expected to arrive in Herat on November 1 carrying 13,000 blankets, as
well as other nonfood relief items. In Mazar-e-Sharif, an IOM office
was allowed to re-open by the Taliban. Although some 2,000 quilts were
looted, IOM plans to deliver 3,000 quilts from the site that escaped
looting to IDP camps in Kunduz.
Security problems inside Afghanistan continue to pose major concerns,
with looting and armed occupation of international aid agency offices
increasingly commonplace. According to UNOCHA, the UNHCR office in
Kandahar, which houses relief supplies, was looted. UNOCHA also
reported that armed individuals occupied the WFP office in
Mazar-e-Sharif, and local authorities are using two WFP vehicles. ICRC
offices in Mazar-e-Sharif were taken over by armed individuals on
October 23. In addition, there have been unconfirmed reports that WFP
food stocks have disappeared from its Kandahar warehouse, which was
taken over by the Taliban on October 16.
The refugee outflows from Afghanistan have been substantially lower
than expected to date. Afghans are not leaving Afghanistan for a
variety of reasons, according to reports, including difficulties in
crossing the country's borders; the high financial cost of leaving in
an impoverished economy; the realization that U.S. targeting is
limited to military objectives; and the fact that food aid is still
reaching many areas.
USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Background
On October 4, President George W. Bush announced a $320 million
assistance program for Afghanistan. Funding will support assistance to
Afghans both inside and outside Afghanistan's borders, with support
for food and a wide variety of other relief needs.
On October 4, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs
Christina B. Rocca redeclared a complex humanitarian disaster in
Afghanistan for FY 2002. To date, FY 2001 and FY 2002 USG humanitarian
assistance for Afghans is provided by USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP,
USAID/Democracy and Governance (DG), USDA, the Department of State's
Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM), the
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). The assistance includes both assistance inside Afghanistan and
assistance to Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.
In Tajikistan, on October 10, 2001, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires James A.
Boughner declared a disaster due to drought, and requested funds for a
seed and fertilizer distribution program. USAID/OFDA responded by
providing $998,180 through the U.S. Embassy to CARE for the purchase
and distribution of winter wheat seeds and fertilizer.
USAID/OFDA Assistance
Personnel
USAID/OFDA Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) personnel have
deployed to Uzbekistan to assess humanitarian activities and
logistical capacity in the area. The DART personnel in Uzbekistan will
complement a DART that was deployed to Pakistan on June 17, 2001.
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 and Commodities - FY 2002
Airlift to Islamabad -- On October 23, Bear McConnell, Director of the
USAID Central Asia Task Force, arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan aboard a
U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane carrying 20,400 blankets from
USAID/OFDA stockpiles. An additional 15,000 blankets arrived via
commercial transport October 25. The blankets will be provided to
UNHCR as a contingency for a possible refugee influx. Value including
transport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $312,350
Health Kits to Pakistan -- USAID/OFDA has provided five health kits to
UNICEF in Islamabad as an in-kind contribution. The health kits can
support a population of 10,000 for up to three months. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . $29,415
Airlift to Turkmenistan -Two chartered planes carrying 1,000 rolls of
plastic sheeting for emergency shelter arrived in Ashgabat October 18
and were consigned to UNICEF. Value includes transport. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . $403,200
New Grants - FY 2002 (Afghanistan)
Concern Worldwide -- Shelter program in northeast Afghanistan to
encourage up to 5,000 displaced families to return to their homes by
repairing looted and destroyed homes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . $1,203,343
FAO - Seed multiplication, procurement, and distribution to
drought-affected farmers throughout Afghanistan. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . .$1,095,000
MCI -- distribution of WFP food to 10,000 families, potable water for
3,000 families, and distribution of non-food items to 10,000 families
in southern and central Afghanistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . $2,000,000
WFP - purchase, transport, and bagging of 15,000 MT of wheat. .
.$6,000,000
WFP - purchase of trucks to support the delivery of food aid. .
.$5,000,000
Grants -- FY 2002 (Afghanistan)
ACTED -- Pre-positioning of food and non-food emergency relief items
in northeastern Afghanistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.$5,500,000
ACTED -- IDP camp management and support in Baghlan. . . . . . .
$630,000
FAO - Seed multiplication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$300,000
GOAL -- Food, shelter, water/sanitation, and winterization in Samangan
and Jozjan Provinces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . $5,500,000
IOM - Support for distribution of food and non-food relief commodities
in Badghis, Faryab, and Balkh provinces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$562,313
International Medical Corps (IMC) -- Health assistance for IDPs and
local residents in Herat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. $735,000
UNICEF -- Nutrition surveillance, health, and water/sanitation
activities country-wide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .$1,650,000
Save the Children (SC)/US -- Nutrition surveillance in northern
Afghanistan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$206,488
SC/US -- Food programs in Faryab and Sar-e-Pul, and emergency heating
for hospitals in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$2,000,000
UNOCHA --Humanitarian coordination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$2,500,000
UNICEF -- Water and Environmental Sanitation activities. $2,500,000
ICRC -- Support for pre-positioning and mobilization of food and
non-food stocks for use within Afghanistan in addressing the needs of
540,000 drought and war-displaced people, as well as support for
airlifts. . . . . . . . $2,500,000
WFP -- Support for a Joint Logistics Center and humanitarian air
operations
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$2,500,000
Total USAID/OFDA FY 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$43,127,109
Grants -- FY 2002 (Tajikistan)
CARE -- Purchase and distribution of winter wheat seeds and
fertilizer, benefiting an estimated 4,500 drought-affected families.
Total USAID/OFDA Tajikistan FY 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$998,180
USAID/FFP
WFP -- 72,700 MT of P.L. 480 Title II wheat and complementary
commodities.
Total USAID/FFP FY 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$38,555,000
State/PRM
Note: State/PRM funds listed reflect actual contributions to the
listed agencies. Plans for funding are not included until funds have
been obligated.
New State/PRM Grants - FY 2002
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) -- Contribution to
ICRC's Revised Emergency Afghan Conflict Appeal. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . $6,500,000
International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent (IFRC) --
Contribution to IFRC's Revised Appeal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . $3,000,000
IOM -- Support for IOM's Appeal for Emergency Response to the Crisis
in Afghanistan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$2,000,000
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) -- Contribution to the
Project Management Information System in Afghanistan (ProMIS). . . . .
. . $160,000
UNOCHA -- Support for UNOCHA's Donor Alert for Afghans in Afghanistan
and in Neighboring Countries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. $2,000,000
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) -- Support for UNFPA's Special
Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . $600,000
WFP -- Contribution to WFP's Special Operation/Logistics Support to
Interagency Relief Efforts and Humanitarian Assistance for the Afghan
people. $4,000,000
State/PRM Grants - FY 2002
UNHCR -- Funding for UNHCR's Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Plan
for Afghans
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$10,000,000
Total State/PRM FY 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$28,260,000
Department of Defense (DOD)
Between October 7 and October 31, DOD dropped 1,280,525 humanitarian
daily rations (HDRs), valued at $4.30 each, into Afghanistan. (Note:
the figure reported October 30 of 1,280,525 HDRs dropped was
inaccurate. The correct figure was 1,028,520.)
Total DOD FY 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$4,570,728
USG ASSISTANCE - AFGHANISTAN
FY 2001
Note: detailed breakdowns of FY 2001 assistance are available in
previous Central Asia Region Situation Reports.
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 2001. . . . . . . . . . .
$178,607,625
FY 2002
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan FY 2002. . .
$114,364,745
FY 2001/2002
TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan FY 2001/2002.
$292,972,370
USG ASSISTANCE -- TAJIKISTAN
Total USG Assistance to Tajikistan FY 2001. . . . . . . . . . .
$67,210,000
Note: FY 2001 USG assistance to Tajikistan included assistance through
USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP, USDA, the Department of State, and Freedom
Support Act funds administered through a variety of agencies.
Total USAID/OFDA Assistance to Tajikistan FY 2002. . . . . . . . .
$998,180
Total USG Assistance to Tajikistan FY 2001/2002. . . . . . . .
$68,208,180
(end text)
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