The Taliban’s interference with aid distribution to needy families in Ghor province, as reported by Hasht-e Subh Daily, has resulted in aid organizations suspending relief activities in the area. This has left thousands of families without assistance and marks the second time in the last four months that aid organizations have had to halt their activities in Ghor. Reliable sources have revealed that UNICEF has identified approximately 48,000 eligible families for cash assistance through local organizations, but only 6,500 of them have received aid. Local Taliban officials reportedly collected 30% of the aid distributed to the needy through village elders and diverted it to their people. As a result of Taliban interference, approximately 41,500 families have been deprived of receiving cash assistance, leading to a halt in humanitarian aid distribution.
Reliable sources report that humanitarian aid distribution in Ghor province was suspended for the second time on April 13th of this year. UNICEF had planned to distribute winter assistance to 48,000 families based on a public survey, with each family receiving $275 in two separate rounds: 19,000 Afghanis in the first round and 6,000 Afghanis in the second round. However, only 6,000 families in the Lal wa Sarjangal District and 500 families in the Saghar District of Ghor received cash assistance. The Taliban’s interference in the aid distribution to deserving families led to the suspension of the continued aid distribution in the month of Hamal (April/March). Consequently, 41,500 families are yet to receive any cash assistance.
The UNICEF aid was intended for families with disabled children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and female heads of households, and was distributed through two local organizations, the Ansari Foundation and the Rural Rehabilitation Association for Afghanistan (RRAA), based on a contract. The Ansari Foundation covered the districts of Tulak, Saghar, Shahrak, Pasaband, and Taywara, while the RRAA Foundation covered the districts of Du Layna, Lal wa Sarjangal, Firozkoh, Dawlat Yar, Murghab, Al-Farooq, Allahyar, and Chaharsada.
Local Taliban officials in the province of Ghor have confirmed that aid organizations’ activities have been suspended. However, they claim that these organizations have suspended aid distribution without a valid reason. In a press release by the Taliban’s governor’s office for Ghor on Saturday, April 15, it was stated that the “UNICEF office has suspended its activities and aid delivery in Ghor province for several days without any valid reason.” The press release further claims that there has been no interference or challenge from government agencies towards the activities and procedures of donors and organizations in the province of Ghor.
The Hasht-e Subh Daily has obtained documents indicating that aid organizations halted their activities in the Ghor province during the past winter. The suspension was due to alleged interference by local figures and Taliban officials in the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Taliban members are accused of interfering in the process of selecting families in need, distributing aid, employing facilitators for aid distribution, and even misappropriating aid intended for needy families.
Previously, Ahmad Shah Deendar, the Taliban governor for the province of Ghor, had sent a written commitment to the coordinating office of humanitarian aid in Kabul, promising that the Taliban would not interfere with the work of aid organizations. However, despite this commitment, Taliban members resumed their interference with the aid organizations and collected a portion of the aid intended for the needy through village elders. Sources report that Taliban officials in the province were forcing elders to hand over 30% of the aid meant for deserving families to the governor’s office.
What was the Taliban governor of Ghor’s commitment to aid organizations?
According to a report by Hasht-e Subh Daily, in September 2022, while the humanitarian aid for needy families in the province of Ghor was increasing, the Taliban were also building local roads in the districts and villages of the province. However, some of the aid intended for the needy was collected by the Taliban members and used for repairing local roads. The trend began in the Chaharsada district, and it continued in all districts of the province. Local sources confirmed that the Taliban collected aid from families in the province.
The coordinating body for UN humanitarian aid stopped all its humanitarian activities in the province of Ghor on January 20, 2023, after receiving reports of the Taliban embezzling aid meant for the beneficiaries. According to sources, representatives from the coordinating body for UN humanitarian aid met with the Taliban governor for Ghor province before taking this step. During the meeting, the coordinating body representative warned the Taliban government that they must comply with the pre-determined conditions and policies of the coordinating body before resuming their humanitarian activities in the province.
According to sources, initially, Ahmad Shah Deendar, the Taliban governor for Ghor province, did not agree to the terms set by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for resuming aid activities in the province. However, on February 23, 2023, he agreed to the proposed conditions and sent a written commitment to the UN office in Kabul promising not to interfere with the work of aid organizations and their staff.
The Taliban governor for the province of Ghor, along with all district governors, sent a letter titled “Commitment Letter Regarding Resumption of Humanitarian Assistance in the Province of Ghor” to Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan in Kabul.
The letter sent by the Taliban governor for the province of Ghor and addressed to Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, includes a section titled “Commitment Letter Regarding Resumption of Humanitarian Assistance in the Province of Ghor.” In this section, it is stated that all humanitarian aid in the province will be distributed to deserving people without any intervention for confiscation, re-collection, or diversion, whether in whole or in part. The letter also emphasizes the commitment to non-interference in all stages of distributing humanitarian aid and the employment process of aid organizations. Additionally, the Taliban government has committed to ensuring the safety and security of aid workers in all districts of the province of Ghor, preventing threats, verbal or physical abuse, arbitrary detention, and harassment of aid workers.
In a separate section of the letter, the Taliban governor for Ghor province committed that aid assessment and distribution will be carried out independently by the staff of aid organizations, without the presence of Taliban officials or armed individuals. The governor also pledged not to request personal information from deserving recipients of aid or distribute aid through government offices, either inside or outside the province.
Based on the written commitment, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) resumed its activities in February 2023 in Ghor province. During their nearly month-long stay, two OCHA representatives were required to report to local Taliban authorities, including the governor, deputy governor, and distribution officials, as soon as they received reports of aid being recollected at the district level.
Following the agreed-upon conditions, UN partner organizations resumed their relief activities in Ghor province in February 2023. UNICEF started distributing aid through local organizations in some districts of Ghor but had to halt its activities after reports of Taliban officials recollecting aid in the Taywara, Du Layna, and Shahrak districts were confirmed.
The suspension of aid distribution by UNICEF in the province of Ghor has left over 41,000 families, including those with pregnant and breastfeeding women, female-headed households, and disabled children, without crucial assistance. Laila, a resident of the province responsible for a four-member family, relied on aid from organizations like UNICEF. In an interview with Hasht-e Subh Daily, Laila expressed her worry, saying “Our only hope was in these little aids that the organization was giving. When we were surveyed, we were very happy, but now they say the organization is not helping.” Laila went on to explain that her children are too young to work, and the suspension of aid has left them without any source of income.
Simagul, a resident of Tulak district in Ghor province, is now the head of her family since her husband went to Iran for work. She has five children, including an infant, and is eligible to receive cash assistance due to her breastfeeding status. Simagul expresses her struggles, “There was nothing in our house because of poverty and destitution, so my husband left us without a guardian and went to Iran. Now I and my children are struggling to survive.” She also adds, “I was very happy that we were receiving help because my husband is in Iran and the Iranian currency is now very low. With this help, I could have made half of my year easier and prepared better food and clothing for my children, but now I hear that aid has been cut off. Honestly, I am very sad.”
The Taliban’s Embezzlement of Distributed Aids: What Happened?
Credible sources have reported to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban have collected a portion of the cash and non-cash aid that aid organizations have distributed to impoverished individuals in the Ghor province over the past year. In addition, the Hasht-e Subh Daily reported in January 2023 that the Taliban had seized aid intended for needy families that were being distributed by aid organizations. https://8am.media/a-seekers-eye-to-a-strangers-pocket/
The Hasht-e Subh Daily has received confirmation from local sources that the Taliban have collected all cash and non-cash aid distributed by Ansari and World Vision organizations to the people in the past year. The Taliban authorities in the province of Ghor responded to reports and complaints from residents about the aid collection by assigning village elders to collect a portion of the aid and deliver it to them.
Sources in the Tulak district of the province report that the Taliban collected 30% of aid distributed by organizations to the needy by going through village elders. These elders were obligated to hand over 30% of the aid to the Taliban authorities in the districts. Furthermore, the Taliban interfered in the distribution process by pressuring village elders to include their militants on the list of the needy.
The Taliban’s interference is not limited to the distribution of aid and the employment process of aid organizations. According to sources, the local Taliban authorities in this province recently instructed the organizations responsible for distributing humanitarian aid to allocate a portion of the aid to the repair of the Herat-Ghor highway through separate contracts. Moreover, sources confirm that the Taliban have ordered employees of these organizations in the province of Ghor to contribute their one-month salary to the reconstruction of the Herat-Ghor highway.
Even though the United Nations does not have an office in the Ghor province, humanitarian aid has been distributed through local organizations. While UNICEF has not provided an official comment regarding the suspension of aid to the needy families, according to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, local organizations are unwilling to continue their relief projects in the province of Ghor due to the current situation and ongoing interference from the Taliban in their operations.
