In several areas of Herat, residents speak of widespread extortion by local strongmen who exploit humanitarian aid and charity programs. According to residents, these strongmen demand a share from each family in return for introducing needy and eligible households to aid organizations. Those who refuse to pay are excluded from beneficiary lists and denied future assistance. In a recent incident in one part of Herat, an organization distributed aid to about 50 women who were heads of their households. Local strongmen arrived at the distribution site and claimed around 30 to 40 percent of the total aid for themselves. Sources say that recipients who refuse to surrender part of their aid are removed from beneficiary lists. At the same time, many other residents of Herat describe deep poverty and widespread unemployment, stressing that no organization has come to support them.
Many residents, particularly women who support their families alone and depend on humanitarian assistance, say they face both extortion by local strongmen and neglect by relief organizations. They explain that poverty and joblessness have pushed some families to desperate measures, including selling their young children. Local strongmen, they say, take advantage of this suffering and target aid meant to ease the lives of the poorest.
One resident of Herat told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that an organization had recently distributed aid to about 50 women heads of households in their neighborhood. As soon as the distribution began, local strongmen showed up and demanded 30 to 40 percent of the aid from each woman. He said that if needy families refuse to comply, they lose any chance of receiving assistance in the future.
The resident added, “The strongmen introduce needy families and take a share in return. A few days ago, when 50 women were receiving aid, the strongmen came and collected their share from each of them. Out of all the food they received, at least 30 to 40 percent went to these men, even though these women are the only breadwinners in their families.”
Another source said that one organization had begun distributing sewing equipment to women who supported their families, hoping they could learn a skill and earn an income. Local strongmen from Kahdastan, Shaidayi, and Karukh arrived and demanded a share from the recipients. They warned the women that if they refused, they would never be included again on aid recipient lists.
Meanwhile, residents of Herat who survived the deadly earthquakes in the province say they have received no humanitarian assistance. They describe enduring extreme cold and homelessness without any support.
One earthquake survivor said, “The weather is freezing, and life has become unbearable. We have no fuel. I lost half my house in the earthquakes and rebuilt it, but now I have nothing left. I also lost one eye in those earthquakes and can no longer work. I wander from place to place, and no one helps. In the past, at least some aid reached us, but now, even though our representatives know who is truly needy, they do nothing. They once distributed flour, but it was not even edible. One of my children tried to go to Iran but was turned back at the border. We survive on the little bread our neighbors share with us.”
Another resident said, “We moved from Badghis to the Shaidayi area of Herat four years ago. Other than two sacks of flour, we have received nothing. If our lives were stable, why would I have married off my seven or eight-year-old daughter? These days, we cook by burning trash just to survive. My husband leaves in the morning and comes back at night, but there is no work. At best, he brings home 100 to 200 afghanis. The assistance that once existed has disappeared.”
Another resident, who asked for anonymity, said, “Since aid distribution began, I have not received anything. I am ill, and my husband has a hole in his heart and cannot work. God knows that for two years, no aid has reached us. No one knows who receives this assistance. Poor and helpless people like us are forgotten and left without support.”
A needy woman in Herat shared her story, saying, “Since the day aid was distributed, I have received only one sack of flour. I clean houses for work. It has been 12 years since my children’s father was killed. I work during the day and crack pistachios at night. No one cares about our hunger or our problems. No one helps us.”
Earlier, sources in Kunduz province told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban diverted aid meant for refugees returning from Iran and Pakistan. According to these sources, the Taliban give aid to family members, relatives, and trusted individuals, who later share it with them. Informed sources say the Taliban Department of Refugees and Repatriation distributes aid in front of cameras, then orders selected recipients to hand over half of it at prearranged locations.
These accounts emerge as the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reports that the Taliban seize international aid through force and confiscate it for their own benefit. The report states that the Taliban work with some United Nations officials to extort aid projects. SIGAR adds, “United Nations officials take bribes from institutions that receive contracts and share them with the Taliban.” The report also states that the Taliban block and divert aid to ensure it reaches Pashtun individuals and not the People of Afghanistan from Tajik and Hazara communities.
According to the report, only 30 to 40 percent of all aid sent to Afghanistan reaches those who truly need it. SIGAR states, “Taliban use every tool, including force, to ensure that aid goes where they want, not where donors intended.”
The Hasht-e Subh Daily has previously documented in numerous reports that the Taliban play a significant role in the embezzlement and diversion of humanitarian aid for their own benefit and for their affiliates. These reports show that the Taliban push aid toward areas aligned with the group or under the control of its members, even as donors repeatedly warn about aid diversion and call for transparency and accountability.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
باجگیری از فقیران؛ اربابان محل کمکهای نیازمندان در هرات را میربایند
