BEYON D THE BLANKET: T OWAR D S MORE BEYonD THE BLANKET: E FFECTIVE PROTECTION FOR ToWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE PROTECTION For INTErnALLY DISPLACED PERSONS in SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN I NTERNALLY DISNTERNALLY P LACE D PERSONS IN S OUTHERN Brookings-Bern Project on Brookings-Bern Project on A Internal Displacement FGHANISTAN Internal Displacement 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW The Liaison Office (TLO) Washington, DC 20036 USA May 2010 (T) +1 (202) 797-6168 (F) +1 (202) 797-2970 [email protected] www.brookings.edu/idp BROOKINGS BEYOND THE BLANKET: TOWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE PROTECTION FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN A Report of the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement and The Liaison Office (TLO) May 2010 III REPORT AUTHORS his report was written by Susanne Schmeidl (The Liaison Office), Alexander D. Mundt (Guest Researcher, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement) and Nick Miszak T(The Liaison Office). Susanne Schmeidl, Ph.D. is a co-founder and Senior Advisor to The Liaison Office (TLO) and has worked on Afghanistan since 2002. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Asia-Pacific College on Diplomacy at The Australian National University. Her work experience spans the sectors of aca- demia, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations and she has combined academic analysis and practice in the areas of forced displacement, civilian Peacebuilding, and conflict preven- tion. She holds a MA and Ph.D. in sociology from the Ohio State University. She has published widely in the areas of Afghanistan, protracted displacement, early warning/conflict prevention, civil- ian peacebuilding and state building, human security, gender, and civil society. Alexander D. Mundt was a 2008-09 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow based at the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement at the Brookings Institution. He has significant humanitarian field experience with displaced communities in Africa, Asia and the Balkans. He received his BA in history from George Washington University and an MA in inter- national relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1995, he conducted independent research at the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Uganda and has co-authored several articles on local governance and conflict management in Africa. Nick Miszak is a senior research officer with TLO’s Southern programs and has worked with the organization since 2007. He holds an MA in Social Science from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland and attended courses in journalism and philosophy at Irvine Community College. Since 2006, he has also volunteered as a member of the editorial staff and a staff writer for the monthly culture and politics magazine “megafon” in Bern, Switzerland. IV BEYOND THE BLANKET ABOUT THE BROOKINGS-BERN PROJECT ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT The Project on Internal Displacement was created to promote a more effective national, regional, and international response to this global problem and to support the work of the Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in carrying out the responsibilities of the mandate. The Project monitors displacement problems worldwide, promotes the dissemination and application of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for IDPs, convenes international seminars on internal dis- placement, and publishes major studies, articles and reports. The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to research, education, and publication on important issues of do- mestic and foreign policy. Its principal purpose is to bring the highest quality research and analysis to bear on current and emerging policy problems. Interpretations or conclusions in Brookings pub- lications should be understood to be solely those of the authors. ABOUT THE LIAISON OFFICE The Liaison Office (TLO) is a non-governmental organization seeking to improving local gover- nance, peace and security in the South, East and Southeast of Afghanistan through systematic and institutionalized engagement with traditional and modern civil society structures. TLO’s aim is to contribute to peace and security through strengthening the capacity of traditional and modern civil society structures in the area of peace building and conflict mediation. TLO is trying to find a way to deal with the challenge of working in insecure environments with communities desperately wanting to be part of the peace and reconstruction effort. Copyright © 2010 THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 www.brookings.edu CONTENTS iv ACRONYMS vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY xvi RECOMMENDATIONS 1 INTRODUCTION 7 NaTIONAL DISPLACEMENT CONTEXT 7 Historical Overview of Displacement in Afghanistan 13 The Current Context 19 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN KANDAHAR PROVINCE 25 Overview of IDP Destinations in Kandahar 25 Spin Boldak 30 Zhari Dasht IDP Camp 35 Kandahar-City 41 GaPS IN THE PROTECTION OF IDPS IN AFGHANISTAN 42 Assessing National Protection of IDPs 45 Understanding Gaps in National Responsibility 47 International Military Forces: Undermining or Strengthening National Responsibility? 50 Understanding Gaps in International Responsibility for IDP Protection 51 Military Actors and the Protection of Civilians 55 International Humanitarian Actors and the Limits of IDP Protection 61 COPING WITH DISPLACEMENT 62 Flight as Survival Strategy 65 Rational Choices Regarding Safe Havens 66 Utilizing Family and Tribal Networks 68 Seeking Protection from Strongmen and the Insurgency 72 Developing Political Representation 77 DURABLE SOLUTIONS 78 Return as the Preferred Durable Solution VI 83 The Importance of Land for Durable Solutions 86 Conflict-Induced IDPs and the Search for Interim Solutions 89 CONCLUSION 95 APPENDIX I: Methodology 101 APPENDIX II: Overview of IDP Populations Studied – Three Site Comparison 103 APPENDIX III: Displacement Routes of IDPs in Kandahar 111 APPENDIX V: IDP Life Stories LIST OF TabLES 4 Table 1: Overview of Interviews and Focus Groups Conducted 23 Table 2: Overview of IDPs in Kandahar Province (Number of Households) 30 Table 3: Main IDP Groups in Spin Boldak (Approximately 37,000 Families) 32 Table 4: Main IDP Groups in Zhari Dasht Camp (Approximately 2,400 Families) 39 Table 5: Main IDP Groups in Kandahar-City (Approximately 10,030 Families) LIST OF FIGURES 8 Figure 1: Afghan Refugees and IDPs 1979-2008 10 Figure 2: Drought-Affected Areas in Afghanistan and Displacement 23 Figure 3: Kandahar Districts Hosting IDPs 26 Figure 4: IDP Settlement in Spin Boldak 31 Figure 5: Location of Zhari Dasht IDP Camp 36 Figure 6: IDP Concentrations in Kandahar-City LIST OF BOXES 15 Box 1: Established IDP Categories in Afghanistan 17 Box 2: Being an IDP in Afghanistan 22 Box 3: Estimation Method for IDP Populations 49 Box 4: Overview of Military Operations in Afghanistan – the Two Coalitions 63 Box 5: Flight as Coping Strategy 71 Box 6: Between a Rock and a Hard Place in Zhari Dasht IDP Camp VII ACRONYMS ACAP Afghan Civilian Assistance Program AHDS Afghan Health and Development Services AIHRC Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission ANA Afghan National Army ANDMA Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority ANSF Afghan National Security Forces ANP Afghan National Police APC Afghanistan Protection Cluster ARCS Afghan Red Crescent Society CERP Commander’s Emergency Response Program CF Coalition Forces DoRR Department of Refugees and Repatriation (provincial counterpart of MoRR) FEFA Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan FGD Focus Group Discussion HAP Humanitarian Action Plan HAPA Humanitarian Action for People of Afghanistan IASC Inter-Agency Standing Committee ICOS International Council on Security and Development ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IDP Internally Displaced Person IOM International Organization for Migration ISAF International Security Assistance Force MoRR Ministry of Refugees and Returnees MRRD Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NFI Non Food Items NGO Non-governmental Organization NRC Norwegian Refugee Council OEF Operation Enduring Freedom OFDA Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID) VIII BEYOND THE BLANKET POERF Post-Operations Emergency Relief Fund (of ISAF) PRT Provincial Reconstruction Team SSI Semi-Structured Interview UN United Nations UNAMA United Nations Assistant Mission to Afghanistan UNDSS UN Department of Safety and Security UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNOCHA UN Organization for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs US United States USAID United States Agency for International Development WFP World Food Programme IX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS his report presents the findings of a collaborative research study between the Brookings- Bern Project on Internal Displacement at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Tand an Afghan non-governmental organization based in Kabul, The Liaison Office. While TLO was responsible for overseeing and conducting the core of field research, which included the participation of a Brookings researcher, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement provided guidance throughout the process of conceptualization, design, and implementation. The authors of the study wish to thank Elizabeth Ferris,