Central Asia Region - Complex emergency situation report #7 (FY 2002)

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
CENTRAL ASIA TASK FORCE

Note: this Situation Report updates previous Central Asia Task Force Situation Reports and Fact Sheets.

Background

Prior to September 2001, two decades of war in Afghanistan, including a decade-long Soviet occupation and ensuing civil strife, 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, collapsed. Significant local and national resources were directed to the war effort. Severe restrictions by the Taliban, which controlled as much as 90% of the country, including a restriction on women working outside the home, added to the impact of poverty, particularly on the many households lacking able-bodied adult men.

Humanitarian prospects worsened sharply in Afghanistan in September 2001 due to developments both inside and outside the country. Fears of a U.S. reprisal to the attacks of September 11 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 11, complicating the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Even prior to September 11, there were signs that relations between the international community and the Taliban were worsening significantly. These new developments added to an existing crisis of extensive displacement stemming from civil conflict and a debilitating three-year drought.

Current Situation

Overview. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan experienced a dramatic turn of events during the week of November 12. Northern Alliance forces and other anti-Taliban groups advanced on much of the Northern, Central, and Eastern Regions of Afghanistan. The precarious security situation continues to inhibit humanitarian assistance, but several U.N. organizations have begun to reestablish their operations in Afghanistan. Food transport from Pakistan was disrupted, while barge shipments from Uzbekistan opened a new corridor. Relief agencies are not reporting major population movements in Afghanistan at this time. USAID Administrator, Andrew Natsios, visited the region to assess humanitarian operations.

Political/Military. During the week of November 12, Northern Alliance and other anti-Taliban forces advanced on much of the Northern, Central, and Eastern Regions of Afghanistan, including the former Taliban strongholds of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, and Jalalabad. News sources report that anti-Taliban forces have engaged in fighting with the Taliban in its southern stronghold of Kandahar, but it is unclear at this time if the Taliban still controls the city and surrounding areas. In Kabul, as well as other major cities taken by the anti-Taliban forces, the security situation remains tense as fighting among factions continues.

Eight relief workers were released in Ghazni and evacuated by U.S. Forces to Pakistan. These relief workers, working for the NGO Shelter Now International, were taken hostage by the Taliban in August 2001.

Food Aid. Food aid deliveries to Afghanistan during the week of November 9 to November 15 were disrupted by the recent events. The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) reported that no food was dispatched from Peshawar or Quetta to Afghanistan from November 13 to 15, as truck drivers expressed concerned over the security situation. WFP said the main fear expressed by the Peshawar drivers is that the road to Kabul is also an exit road for the Taliban. WFP is uncertain as to when shipments from Pakistan will resume. In the meantime, WFP plans to bolster food stocks in Quetta so there will be enough food in place to continue the operations when distribution does resume. WFP expects that 6,000 MT will be transferred from Peshawar to Quetta for prepositioning by November 16. Although the events of the week of November 12 have hindered food aid deliveries, WFP has dispatched a total of 52,075 MT of food to Afghanistan between October 14 and November 14.

WFP reports that 15,000 MT wheat purchased in Kazakstan with USAID/OFDA funds has begun moving on the railway. The first shipment is due to arrive in Turkmenabad later in November. Thereafter, rail shipments should arrive in Turkmenabad on a daily basis, at the rate of 1,000-1,500 MT per day.

Afghanistan. The humanitarian and security situations in Afghanistan are very fluid at this time. Continued fighting between Taliban and anti-Taliban forces, along with general lawlessness in the major cities, has severely inhibited humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan during the week of November 12. While relief agencies report no major population movements at this time, the relief community is preparing for the worst by prepositioning stocks and readying IDP and refugee camps. Several U.N. Agencies are reporting that they have partially reestablished operations in Afghanistan. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that they have opened their Kabul office, as well as a sub-office in Herat. WFP anticipates moving some staff back into Afghanistan, including Kabul, during the next week.

During the chaotic events of the week, several U.N. Organizations had their offices and warehouses in Mazar-e-Sharif looted or destroyed during the Northern Alliance takeover. The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that Northern Alliance forces seized a 10-truck convoy carrying 200 MT of supplies. This was the first convoy of relief supplies to arrive in Mazar-e-Sharif since the Northern Alliance gained control of the city. UNICEF also reported that their office was looted and their vehicles were stolen by Taliban forces. WFP and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also reported that their warehouses in Mazar-e-Sharif have been looted. WFP reported that 89 MT of oil, sugar, and high-energy biscuits were stolen, and FAO had office equipment, seeds, and fertilizer taken.

Pakistan. As more Afghans arrive at the Killi Faizo transit camp near the Chaman border crossing, UNHCR continues the relocation of the refugees to the Roghani camp, further inland. UNHCR officials said that the population of the Killi Faizo camp officially stood at some 3,800 as of November 14. UNHCR plans to relocate all the refugees in the exposed Killi Faizo camp to Roghani. More than 1,100 people have been relocated as of November 14. UNHCR anticipates the Roghani camp could eventually shelter up to 40,000 people. UNHCR also reported that Afghans continue to enter Pakistan, arriving mainly from Kandahar, Boldag, Khakaiz and Herat. They indicated that they were bound for Chaman, Quetta and Pishin.

During the week of November 6, WFP began the airlift of more than 2,000 MT of food from Quetta, Pakistan to Turkmenabad, Turkmenistan. To date, approximately 540 MT have been airlifted from Quetta to Turkmenistan. From Turkmenabad, the food will be transported via truck to remote areas of northern Afghanistan. USAID/Food for Peace (FFP) funding is supporting this operation.

Iran. Relief agencies report that the Northern Alliance took control of the Makaki Camp, near the Iran border, on November 13. Camp officials reportedly asked relief agencies to suspend activities in the camp until November 15 out of concern for the security situation. Relief agencies estimate that there are 6,000 people in the camp and another 3,000 around the periphery. UNHCR reported on November 14, that Iranian authorities sent three trucks to the camp to begin the transfer of some of the displaced to the Mile 46 camp, 50 km to the south. According to UNHCR, more than 1,300 Afghans returned home through Dogharoun, Iran's main border crossing with Afghanistan, on November 15. This was the largest single-day return since August 2000.

Uzbekistan. The first of several barges containing humanitarian relief commodities arrived in Hairatan, Afghanistan from the Uzbekistan port city of Termez on November 14. The initial shipment contained 50 MT of wheat flour as well as nonfood relief commodities such as jerry cans, blankets, and winter clothing. A second shipment of commodities, including 200 MT of wheat flour, departed for Hairatan on November 15. The commodities will be warehoused in Hairation until the security situation in Mazar-e-Sharif improves enough to allow the transport of the commodities to U.N. offices there.

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 & Governance (DG), USDA, the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM), the Department of State's Department of Defense Demining Program, the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (State/INL), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (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 Administrator Andrew Natsios visited several countries in Central Asia the week of November 12 to review the U.S. humanitarian operation to assist the Afghan people. He also reviewed opportunities for small-scale reconstruction in northern Afghanistan for roads, wells, irrigation systems, schools, and housing. During the week, Natsios met with government officials and U.N. and NGO leaders in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan. On November 15, Natsios visited internally displaced Afghans in Khwaja Bahawudin, Afghanistan.

USAID/OFDA currently has two Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) deployed to Pakistan and Uzbekistan to assess humanitarian activities and logistical capacity in the area.

Airlifts and Commodities - FY 2002

Turkmenistan

Airlift to Turkmenistan - During the week of November 5, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) airlifted the following USAID/OFDA commodities from Pisa, Italy to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan aboard C-17 aircraft: 20,000 wool blankets, 100 rolls of plastic sheeting, 200 MT of BP-5 High Energy Biscuits, and 1 MT of sugar. All commodities are consigned to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for distribution in Afghanistan.

Value including transport: $751,102

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 including transport: $403,200

Pakistan

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

New Grants - FY 2002 (Afghanistan)

International Rescue Committee - emergency food assistance, potable water, and well drilling for IDP camps in Northern Afghanistan: $3,650,000

Grants - FY 2002 (Afghanistan)

Catholic Relief Services - distribution of new blankets to 200,000 people, primarily female-headed households, widows, the disabled, and IDPs, in the Central Highlands: $988,000

International Resources Group - coordination of Afghanistan Food Augmentation Team for USAID: $360,112

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

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - seed multiplication, procurement, and distribution to drought-affected farmers throughout Afghanistan: $1,095,000

Mercy Corps - 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

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

U.N. Children's Fund (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

International Committee of the Red Cross (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 : $48,876,323

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

USAID/OTI

USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has provided $1.6 million in support of programs to disseminate humanitarian information via radio messages to Afghans in local languages. USAID/OTI has partnered with Voice of America, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and local NGOs.

Total USAID/OTI FY 2002: $1,687,820

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.

State/PRM Grants - FY 2002

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

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)

To date, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has airdropped 1,530,480 Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDRs), valued at $6,581,064 into Afghanistan.

According to recent data from DOD, the cost of the airdrop operations, including the rations, transport, and fuel expenses, totals approximately $120 million.

Total DOD FY 2002: $120,000,000

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: $237,379,143

FY 2001/2002

TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan FY 2001/2002: $415,986,768

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

USAID/OFDA bulletins can be obtained from the USAID web site at http://www.usaid.gov/hum_response/ofda/situation.html