Afghanis T An

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Afghanis T An Rapid SMART Assessment Report Qala-e-Naw IDP Camps, Badghis province Date: 4-11 April 2019 AFGHANISTAN Lead by: Dr: Shafiullah Samim, Dr. M. Khalid Zakir and Dr. Nazir Sajid Author: Beka Teshome and Dr. Sayed Rahim Rastkar Funded by: AHF-OCHA Action Contre la Faim AAH is a non-governmental, non-political and non-religious organization 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS AKNOWLEDGMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 4 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................ 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 7 1. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................... 9 2. Objectives............................................................................................................................................ 10 2.1. General objective ............................................................................................................................. 10 2.2. Specific objectives ....................................................................................................................... 10 3. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................................. 10 3.1. Geographic target area and population group ........................................................................... 10 3.2. Survey period .............................................................................................................................. 11 3.3. Survey design .............................................................................................................................. 11 3.4. Sample size .................................................................................................................................. 11 3.5. Sampling procedures .................................................................................................................. 12 3.5.1. First stage sampling: selection of clusters .......................................................................... 12 3.5.2. Second stage sampling: selection of households ............................................................... 12 3.6. Organization of the Survey ......................................................................................................... 13 3.6.1. Survey Coordination............................................................................................................ 13 3.6.2. Survey Teams ...................................................................................................................... 13 3.6.3. Training of the Survey Teams .............................................................................................. 13 3.7. Data collection and field work .................................................................................................... 14 3.7.1. Children anthropometric survey ......................................................................................... 14 3.7.2. Maternal nutritional status ................................................................................................. 15 3.7.3. Child Morbidity ................................................................................................................... 15 3.8. Data quality assurance ................................................................................................................ 15 4. Data management and Analysis ......................................................................................................... 15 5. Results ................................................................................................................................................. 15 5.1. Mean z-scores, Design Effects and excluded subjects ................................................................ 15 5.2. General characteristics of study population and households .................................................... 16 5.2.1. Households and children 6-59 months ............................................................................... 16 5.2.2. Pregnant and Lactating Women ......................................................................................... 17 5.3. Anthropometric results ............................................................................................................... 17 5.3.1. Distribution by sex and age ................................................................................................. 17 5.3.2. Prevalence of acute malnutrition based on weight-for-height z-scores (and/or oedema) and by sex ........................................................................................................................................... 18 5.3.3. Prevalence of acute malnutrition by age, based on weight-for-height z-scores and/or oedema 19 5.3.4. Prevalence of acute malnutrition based on MUAC cut off's (and/or oedema) .................. 20 5.3.5. Prevalence of underweight based on weight-for-age z-scores .......................................... 21 5.3.6. Prevalence of stunting based on height-for-age z-scores and by sex ................................. 22 5.4. Child morbidity ............................................................................................................................ 22 5.5. Maternal nutritional status ......................................................................................................... 23 2 5.6. Prevalence of Combined Acute Malnutrtion based on WHZ and/or MUAC .............................. 23 5.7. Proportion of acutely malnourished children enrolled in & referred to a nutrition program ... 23 6. DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................................................... 24 6.1. Nutritional status ........................................................................................................................ 24 6.2. Child health indicators ................................................................................................................ 26 7. Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 26 Annexes ....................................................................................................................................................... 27 Annex 1: Plausibility check for: Badghis_IDP_camps_segment A _April_2019_Afghanistan.as ............ 28 Annex 2: Plausibility check for: Badghis_IDP_camps_Segment B _April_2019_Afghanistan.as ............ 28 Annex 3: Selected clusters, segment A, Qala-e-Naw IDP camp .............................................................. 29 Annex 4: Selected clusters, segment B, Qala-e-Naw IDP camp .............................................................. 30 Annex 5: Rapid SMART Assessment questionnaires for children and pregnant and lactating women . 32 Annex 6: Event calendar ......................................................................................................................... 34 3 AKNOWLEDGMENT This survey would not have been possible without the financial support provided by Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF). Action Against Hunger (AAH) would also like to thank all stakeholders and partners who provided support to the Rapid SMART Assessment teams in Qala-e-Naw city IDP Camps, Badghis province: Public Nutrition Department (PND), Nutrition cluster and Afghanistan Information Management Working Group (AIM-WG) for their support in methodological review and validation. Badghis Provincial Public Health Directorate (PPHD) and currently Badghis Provincial Nutrition officer (PNO) for the support provided in the authorization of the survey. All the community members for welcoming and supporting the survey teams during the data collection process. All health stakeholders who are currently providing health and nutrition services in the IDP camps Afghan Youth Services Organization (AYSO) especially Dr. Anasul Haq Rahimi, Dr. Abdullah Qarizada and Dr. Amanullah Saqeb for the smooth implementation of the assessments in Qala-e- Naw city IDP camps in Badghis province. Survey teams composed of enumerators and supervisors for making the whole process smooth. AAH teams at Kabul and Paris for technical, logistics and administrative support. Statement on Copyright © Action Against Hunger Action Against Hunger is a non-governmental, non-political and non-religious organization. Unless otherwise indicated, reproduction is authorized on condition that the source is credited. If reproduction or use of texts and visual materials (sound, images, software, etc.) is subject to prior authorization, such authorization was render null and void the above-mentioned general authorization and was clearly indicate any restrictions on use. The content of this document is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of AAH and AHF. 4 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AAH Action Against Hunger AfDHS Afghanistan Demographic Health Survey AHF Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund AIM-WG Assessment Information Management Working Group AYSO Afghan Youth Services
Recommended publications
  • Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction
    CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF THE USE, STOCKPILING, PRODUCTION AND TRANSFER OF ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES AND ON THEIR DESTRUCTION Reporting Formats for Article 7 STATE [PARTY]: Afghanistan Mohammad Shafiq Yosufi, Director Directorate of Mine Action Coordination POINT OF CONTACT: (DMAC1), Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA). Email: [email protected] Tel: +93 (0) 705 966 401 (Name, organization, telephone, fax, email) (ONLY FOR THE PURPOSES OF CLARIFICATION) 1 The government department working for mine action previously known as Department of Mine Clearance (DMC) was officially changed to DMAC in 2015. COVER PAGE OF THE ANNUAL ARTICLE 7 REPORT NAME OF STATE [PARTY]: Afghanistan REPORTING PERIOD: 1St January 2018 to 31st December 2018 (dd/mm/yyyy) (dd/mm/yyyy) Form A: National implementation measures: Form E: Status of conversion programs: Form I: Warning measures: ✓ changed changed ✓ changed unchanged (last reporting: yyyy) ✓ unchanged (last reporting: yyyy) un changed (last reporting: yyyy) non-applicable non-applicable Form B: Stockpiled anti-personnel mines: Form F: Program of APM destruction: Form J: Other Relevant Matters ✓ changed ✓ changed ✓ changed unchanged (last reporting: yyyy) unchanged (last reporting: yyyy) un changed (last reporting: yyyy) non-applicable non-applicable non -applicable Form C: Location of mined areas: Form G: APM destroyed: ✓ changed ✓ changed unchanged (last reporting: yyyy) unchanged (last reporting: yyyy) non-applicable non-applicable Form D: APMs retained or transferred: Form
    [Show full text]
  • Winning Hearts and Minds? Examining the Relationship Between Aid and Security in Afghanistan’S Faryab Province Geert Gompelman ©2010 Feinstein International Center
    JANUARY 2011 Strengthening the humanity and dignity of people in crisis through knowledge and practice Winning Hearts and Minds? Examining the Relationship between Aid and Security in Afghanistan’s Faryab Province Geert Gompelman ©2010 Feinstein International Center. All Rights Reserved. Fair use of this copyrighted material includes its use for non-commercial educational purposes, such as teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, commentary, and news reporting. Unless otherwise noted, those who wish to reproduce text and image files from this publication for such uses may do so without the Feinstein International Center’s express permission. However, all commercial use of this material and/or reproduction that alters its meaning or intent, without the express permission of the Feinstein International Center, is prohibited. Feinstein International Center Tufts University 200 Boston Ave., Suite 4800 Medford, MA 02155 USA tel: +1 617.627.3423 fax: +1 617.627.3428 fic.tufts.edu Author Geert Gompelman (MSc.) is a graduate in Development Studies from the Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen (CIDIN) at Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands). He has worked as a development practitioner and research consultant in Afghanistan since 2007. Acknowledgements The author wishes to thank his research colleagues Ahmad Hakeem (“Shajay”) and Kanishka Haya for their assistance and insights as well as companionship in the field. Gratitude is also due to Antonio Giustozzi, Arne Strand, Petter Bauck, and Hans Dieset for their substantive comments and suggestions on a draft version. The author is indebted to Mervyn Patterson for his significant contribution to the historical and background sections. Thanks go to Joyce Maxwell for her editorial guidance and for helping to clarify unclear passages and to Bridget Snow for her efficient and patient work on the production of the final document.
    [Show full text]
  • Murghab District, Badghis District Narrative Assessment 5 May 2010
    (UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY) Murghab District, Badghis District Narrative Assessment 5 May 2010 By the Stability Operations Information Center (SOIC) Camp Julien, Kabul (UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY) (UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY) Table of Contents (U) Key Findings .......................................................................................................................................... 3 (U) Background & Methodology ................................................................................................................. 6 (U) Geography ............................................................................................................................................ 8 (U) Political History of Badghis .................................................................................................................. 11 (U) Popular Perceptions and Atmospherics .............................................................................................. 13 (U) Badghis’ Tajik-Pashtun Divide ............................................................................................................. 15 (U) Relationship with ISAF......................................................................................................................... 15 (U) Tribal Dynamics ................................................................................................................................... 17 (U) Security and Insurgency .....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Maah/Mrrd/Fao/Wfp National Crop Output Assessment
    FAO FAAHM/AFGHANISTAN OSRO/AFG/111/USA MAAH/MRRD/FAO/WFP NATIONAL CROP OUTPUT ASSESSMENT 10th May to 5th June 2003 Farmer met in Badghis while weeding his rain-fed wheat field, 23 May 2003. Raphy Favre, FAO/FAIT Agronomist Consultant, Mission TL Anthony Fitzherbert, FAO Consultant Javier Escobedo, FAO Emergency Agronomist Consultant 25th July 2003 Kabul TABLE OF CONTENT I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. INTRODUCTION III. METHODOLOGY 1. Estimation of Yield 1.1 Field Measurements for Yield Estimates 1.2 Crop Development Stage at the Time of the Assessment 1.3 Interviews with Farmers in the Field 1.4 Selection of Districts and Transects 1.5 Selection of Fields 2. Estimation of Land planted 3. Market Prices IV. RESULTS 4. Estimated Planted Area 4.1 Irrigated Land 4.2 Rain-fed Land 5. Estimated Wheat Yield 5.1 Irrigated Land 5.2 Rain-fed Land 6. Estimated Wheat Production 6.1 Irrigated Land 6.2 Rain-fed Land 6.3 Total Production 6.4 Agricultural Constraints in 2003 7. Estimated Barley Production at Regional Level 8. Wheat Grain Prices V. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS ANNEXES ANNEX I - Changes of the Itinerary and Teams Composition due to Security Situation in Southern Afghanistan ANNEX II - Participants ANNEX III - Mission Itinerary and Districts covered by the Survey 2 TABLES Table 1: Estimated irrigated cultivated land in 2003; Total irrigated land cultivated In 2003, irrigated Wheat cultivated and irrigated Barley cultivated in 2003. Table 2: Estimated rain-fed cultivated land in 2003; Total rain-fed land cultivated in 2003, rain-fed Wheat cultivated and rain-fed Barley cultivated in 2003.
    [Show full text]
  • Badghis Province
    AFGHANISTAN Badghis Province District Atlas April 2014 Disclaimers: The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info [email protected] AFGHANISTAN: Badghis Province Reference Map 63°0'0"E 63°30'0"E 64°0'0"E 64°30'0"E 65°0'0"E Legend ^! Capital Shirintagab !! Provincial Center District ! District Center Khwajasabzposh Administrative Boundaries TURKMENISTAN ! International Khwajasabzposh Province Takhta Almar District 36°0'0"N 36°0'0"N Bazar District Distirict Maymana Transportation p !! ! Primary Road Pashtunkot Secondary Road ! Ghormach Almar o Airport District p Airfield River/Stream ! Ghormach Qaysar River/Lake ! Qaysar District Pashtunkot District ! Balamurghab Garziwan District Bala 35°30'0"N 35°30'0"N Murghab District Kohestan ! Fa r y ab Kohestan Date Printed: 30 March 2014 08:40 AM Province District Data Source(s): AGCHO, CSO, AIMS, MISTI Schools - Ministry of Education ° Health Facilities - Ministry of Health Muqur Charsadra Badghis District District Projection/Datum: Geographic/WGS-84 Province Abkamari 0 20 40Kms ! ! ! Jawand Muqur Disclaimers: Ab Kamari Jawand The designations employed and the presentation of material !! District p 35°0'0"N 35°0'0"N Qala-e-Naw District on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, Qala-i-Naw Qadis city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation District District of its frontiers or boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • The Situation Information Bulletin Afghanistan: Flash Floods
    Information bulletin Afghanistan: Flash Floods MDRAF005; Glide n° FF-2019-000018-AFG Date of issue: 8 March 2019 Date of disaster: 1 March, 2019 Point of contact: Abdulrahman Kalantary Disaster Management Director (ARCS) Operation start date: Expected timeframe: Host National Society(ies): Afghan Red Crescent Society Number of people affected: Approx. 250,000 people Number of people to be assisted: (36,000 families) N° of National Societies currently involved in the operation: Canadian Red Cross, Danish Red Cross and Norwegian Red Cross. N° of other partner organizations involved in the operation: Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) and provincial government through Provincial Disaster Management Committees (PDMC) in 16 provinces. This bulletin is being issued to reflect the current situation and details available at this time. The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), with support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is activating a Disaster Emergency Relief Fund (DREF) allocation to support the relief activities for the flash floods operation. An emergency appeal is now in the pipeline, which ARCS is going to scale up the operation for both drought and flash floods happening in country. <click here for detailed contact information> The situation Afghanistan is highly prone to intense and recurring natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, snow avalanches, landslides and droughts due to its geographical location and years of environmental degradation. Climate change also poses a threat to Afghanistan’s natural resources, of which the majority of Afghans depend for their livelihoods. Afghanistan faces significant impacts of climate change and disasters which impact growth prospects.
    [Show full text]
  • In Badghis (Afghanistan), 2005 – 2013
    ICIP WORKING PAPERS: 2014/06 Spanish Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Badghis (Afghanistan), 2005 – 2013 Carme Roure i Pujol Spanish Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Badghis (Afghanistan), 2005 – 2013 Carme Roure i Pujol Catalan International Institute for Peace Barcelona, November 2014 Institut Català Internacional per la Pau Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 658, baixos · 08010 Barcelona T. +34 93 554 42 70 | F. +34 93 554 42 80 [email protected] | http://www.icip.cat Editors Javier Alcalde and Rafael Grasa Editorial Board Pablo Aguiar, Laia Balcells, Alfons Barceló, Gema Collantes-Celador, Caterina Garcia, Abel Escribà, Tica Font, Antoni Pigrau, Xavier Pons, Mònica Sabata, Jaume Saura, Josep Maria Terricabras and Léonie Van Tongeren Typesseting Atona Víctor Igual, S. L. ISSN 2014-5793 (online edition) DL B. 27085-2014 THE AUTHOR Carmen Roure i Pujol has a PhD from the University of Barcelona (Contemporary History) with a Master in International Studies from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and a degree in Hu- manities from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). She has worked professionally in the field of humanitarian aid and in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Central America. This text is part of the research project developed in her thesis on new models of intervention aimed at consolidating peace, reconstruction and development in failed states and in post-conflict situations. ABSTRACT In Afghanistan, after 9/11, new intervention models were developed aimed at stability and consolidating peace, rebuilding and developing the country, using to achieve this goal, counterinsurgency theory (COIN) of military doctrine and the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), which incorporate political, military, humanitarian and deve- lopment mechanisms under the same management called the «com- prehensive approach».
    [Show full text]
  • Jumping Plant-Lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) of Afghanistan
    ACTA ENTOMOLOGICA MUSEI NATIONALIS PRAGAE Published 30.vi.2012 Volume 52(1), pp. 1–22 ISSN 0374-1036 Jumping plant-lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) of Afghanistan Igor MALENOVSKÝ1), Pavel LAUTERER1,2), Eugenia LABINA3) & Daniel BURCKHARDT4) 1) Department of Entomology, Moravian Museum, Hviezdoslavova 29a, CZ-627 00 Brno, Czech Republic; e-mail: [email protected] 2) e-mail: [email protected] 3) Laboratory of Systematics of Insects, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] 4) Naturhistorisches Museum, Augustinergasse 2, CH-4001 Basel, Switzerland; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. The psylloid fauna of Afghanistan is reviewed comprising, 32 identifi ed species, 15 of which are recorded from the country for the fi rst time, including Agonoscena klapperichi sp. nov. (Psyllidae: Rhinocolinae), which is formally described and illustrated. Additional illustrations are provided for Craspedolepta manica Baeva, 1978, Cacopsylla cf. nasuta (Horváth, 1904) and Trioza urticae Linnaeus, 1758. Another 5 species are represented by insuffi cient material and cannot be currently identifi ed. The bulk of the examined material comes from four expeditions by J. Klapperich, O. Jakeš, M. Daniel and E. S. Sugonyaev in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The psylloid fauna of Afghanistan remains poorly known and additional species can be expected. The biogeographical relationships and eco- nomic importance of the Afghan psylloid fauna are briefl y discussed. In addition, a new record of Psyllopsis securicola Loginova, 1963 from Iraq is provided. Key words. Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha, Psylloidea, taxonomy, distribution, new species, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Palaearctic Region Introduction Jumping plant-lice or psyllids, with some 4,000 described species worldwide, are usually highly host-specifi c plant-sap sucking insects.
    [Show full text]
  • Ghor and Badghis Provinces—Locust Infestation Assessment
    GHOR AND BADGHIS PROVINCES—LOCUST INFESTATION ASSESSMENT mVAM AFGHANISTAN - Locust Infestation Assessment Bulletin #1 30-31 May KEY FINDINGS The locust infestation affected the crops in Bala Murghab and Qadis districts of Badghis province and Chaghcharan and Dawlat Yar districts of Ghor province this year (2017). Aforementioned districts in Ghor were also affected by locust last year. Compared to last year (2016), the impact of locust infestation this year (2017) is worse and more crops are affected in Dawlat Yar and Qadis districts, remained the same in Bala Murghab district, and had less impact in Chaghcharan district. The locust also had impact on the livelihoods and food security situation in the affected areas. The locust will also have impact on the food availability and prices in the assessed markets. Besides, the farmers will have limited access to the seeds for cultivation next year as the result of the lack of production this year. The main income sources of the people in the assessed districts are agriculture and livestock and the impact of the locust was mainly on those relaying on agriculture and livestock. The main prioritized needs of the affected population include but are not limited to pesticide in order to prevent the crops from locusts, trainings on manual (less or no chemical) locust control methods, financial support, seeds, and other agriculture inputs. Districts in green are affected ASSESSMENT BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY by locust and are assessed. Districts in grey are not affect- The locust infestation is a devastating natural disaster that has a negative impact on the crops and ed by locust except Jawand.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Communication in the Development of Afghanistan
    Durham E-Theses The role of communication in the development of Afghanistan Amin, Hamiddullah How to cite: Amin, Hamiddullah (1967) The role of communication in the development of Afghanistan, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/9995/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk The role of communication in the development of Afghanistan Abstract of thesis Afghanistan became a meeting point of several civil• izations in early history due to the fact that most of the important commercial highways connecting east and west passed through this country. As a result the country became the cradle of Buddhic and Greco-Buddhic cultures and the centre of several empires. At present, the Afghans are again trying to make Afghanistan the meeting point of east and west. This time not by animals and caravan routes, but by building modern highways and airports, which in addition to providing facilities for the goods in transit through Afghanistan will facilitate the internal communication of the country.
    [Show full text]
  • AFGHANISTAN Northeast
    AFGHANISTAN Weekly Humanitarian Update (3 February – 9 February 2020) KEY FIGURES IDPS IN 2020 (AS OF 9 FEB) 4,400 People displaced by conflict 9,500 Received assistance NATURAL DISASTER IN 2020 (AS OF 9 FEB) 16,300 Number of people affected by natural disasters Conflict incident RETURNEES IN 2020 (AS OF 1 FEB) 29,200 Internal displacement Returnees from Iran Disruption of services 680 Returnees from Pakistan 3,150 Returnees from other countries Northeast: Over 3,000 people received HRP REQUIREMENTS & FUNDING humanitarian assistance 733M Requirements (US$) – HRP 2020 Reports surfaced of an airstrike impacting a school and a clinic in the Baghi Shirkat area of Kunduz province during last week’s fighting between the 612M Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and a Non-State Armed Group Requirements (US$) – HRP 2019 (NSAG). 464.4M Since 3 February, an unknown respiratory illness killed 14 children in five 80% funded (US$) in 2019 villages in the Ushnugan area (Yamgan district, Badakhshan province). Last week, 3,535 people affected by conflict received humanitarian assistance AFGHANISTAN HUMANITARIAN in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces. Moreover, 455 internally displaced persons FUND (AHF) 2020 (IDPs) affected by conflict were assessed and will receive assistance in the 17.6M coming days in Baghlan province. Pledges (US$) East: Fighting displaced 6,400 people in Nangahar 0 Expenditure (US$) and Laghman 25.63M Approximately, 5,600 people were displaced during fighting between the Available for allocation, including ANSF and an NSAG in Sherzad district, Nangarhar province and 800 people carry-over (US$) were displaced in Alishang and Alingar districts in Laghman province.
    [Show full text]
  • Norway's Political Test in Faryab, Afghanistan: How to Lead?
    NORWEGIAN PEACEBUILDING CENTRE No. 10 July 2010 Noref Policy Brief Norway’s political test in Faryab, Afghanistan: how to lead? Ståle Ulriksen Executive Summary Norway’s five-year experience as the lead nation of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Meymaneh in Faryab province, north-west Afghanistan, has been marked by an increased level of violence. This violence is often attributed to the greater strength of the Taliban insurgency. But a close analysis suggests that it has other causes. They include traditional local feuds, struggles between different power structures, and competition over drug trafficking. The nature of politics in this part of Afghanistan – where institu- tions are weak, parallel power systems coexist, warlords exercise personalised control, ethnicised divisions are growing, Ståle Ulriksen and older men dominate – underpins these conflicts. The district of Ghormach Ståle Ulriksen is head of the Department of in nearby Badghis province, for which Security and Conflict Management at the Nor- Norway took responsibility in January wegian Institute of Foreign Affairs (NUPI). He 2009, illustrates the problem: here, a se- ries of military operations in an area of served as NUPI’s Deputy Director from 2000 to extreme poverty and intense ethnic rivalry 2006. He studies war and military operations, seems to have caused more problems European military cooperation and integration, than it has solved. and Norwegian security and military develop- ments. Among his latest publications are Webs This complex pattern of conflicts in and of war – “The international community and around Faryab presents Norway with an the handling of regional conflict formations in acute test, which at present PRT Mey- West Africa and Central Africa”, Comparative maneh is not equipped to handle owing to Social Research, forthcoming, 2010; “Deploy- weak political direction and military and ments for Development? Nordic Peacekeeping civilian efforts that are not coordinated.
    [Show full text]