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UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONERFOR REFUGEES R 7, 72 ENG 557cp.2 , PRELIMINARY REPORT ON CONDITIONS AFFECTING THE 'REPATRIATION OF AFGHAN REFUGEES Prepared by: Richard English, Ph.D For the Operational Lnit for Repatriation tc Afghanistan l;NHCR, Geneva 20 June D83 1A Be not so sweet that they swallow you. Be not so bitter that they spityou out. -- Pushtun proverb The views presented in this reportare those of the author and should not be construedas representing the official position or policy of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees. CONCLLSION 36 REFERENCES 58 ANNEX I/TABLES 59 ANNEX II /POLITICAL PARTIES 7, ANNEX III CROSS -BORDER AGENCIES & COMMITTEES OF COOPERATION 78 ANNEX IG/DIRECTORY OF NGOS 37 MAPS 1. Major Ethnic Groups of Afghanistan 3 2. Percentage of Refugees in Iran & Pakistan 12 Originating in Each Province of Afghanistan 3. Location of Afghan Refugee Camps in NWFP 4. Location of Afghan Refugee Camps in Baluchistan 5. Approximate Locations of Internally Displaced 14 Populations in Afghanistan 6. Crossing Points for Afghan Refugees 23 Returning to Afghanistan 7 Relief Map of Afghanistan with Planning 34 Regions Indicated 8 Planning Regions 33 Map of individual regions followpp. 33, 39, 42, 49,33 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1. Project Background 5 2. Objectives 3. The Report 4. Acknowledgements BACKGROUND 1. Population 6 2. Economy and Subsistence 10 3. Consequenses of the War ii - - Agriculture 11 - - Refugees in Pakistan 12 - - Refugees in Iran 13 - - The Internally Displaced 14 - - The Resistance _ .14 4. Prospects for Repatriation. 13 UNHCR .CONCERNS AND ACTIVITIES /AFGHANISTAN ti.... 16 'l. Policy 16 2. Implementation 18. 3. Monitoring 19 4. Planning and Logistics 19 5. Transport 21 6 Mines 24 7. Food 23 8. water 26 9. Shelter 26 10. Health - - Medical Assistance 27 -- Health Conditions 30 - - Health Planning 31 11. Agricultural Assistance 3_ UNHCR CONCERNS AND ACTIVITIES /PAKISTAN 33 REGIONAL PROFILES 35 North North East 33 39 East 42 East Centrai South 43 North west 49 J3 INTRODUCTION . PROJECT BACKGROUND 2.1 Many months prior to the signing of the Geneva accords, which initiated the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, CNHCR began developing contingency plans for the eventual return of up to four million Afghan refugees settled in Pakistan and Iran. Political constraints, and the very real possibility that the initiation of such activities would spark a premature repatriation, prevented UNHCR from sharing its concerns with others or from seeking the counsel of those individuals and agencies knowledgeable about conditions inside Afghanistan. The signing of the Geneva accords, and the necessity to formalize planning for refugee repatriation, prompted the High Commissioner to create a task force to oversee the planning and implementation of a repatriation programme. Towards that end, the task force, or the Operational Unit for Repatriation to Afghanistan (OURA), assembled a team of consultants to assist in the gathering of information relevant to repatriation planning and to make recommendations accordingly. This report is the outcome of the initial phase of information gathering that was required to refine initial budget, logistic and staffing requirements. The second phase of the information gathering process will refine update and expand upon this report in order that policy and programming can be adjusted to the rapidly changing conditions in Afghanistan. 2. OBJECTIVES 2.2 The primary objectives of the first phase of information gathering project were 1)to set up a computerized data base of country information relevant to the repatriation of Afghan refugees; 2) based upon the results of the first phase, developa preliminary outline for a repatriation programme; and, 3)to identify human and institutional resources that could be calledupon to assist UNHCR and other UN agencies in the implementation of a repatriationprogramme. 2.3 In the early phases of the project, UNHCR and the consultants initiated contact with all agencies based in Peshawar and inQuetta involved in providing assistance to populations inside Afghanistan (hereafter referred to as "Cross- Border .Agencies "). A list of questions soliciting information on conditions within Afghanistan relevant to UNHCR's concerns -- e.g., quality of roads, availability of storage, transport and fuel, level of destruction ofirrigation systems and farm land, security situation andpresence of land mines,- etc. within particular areas -- were distributed to all agencies. Agencies were also requested to provide informationon the nature and extent of their various operations so that a list of existing resources (i.e., medical facilities, agricultural programmes, bases of operation) within each province could beincorporated into a basic repatriation assistance infrastructure. Subsequently, the consultants approached those agencies providing assistanceto refugees in Pakistan and made similar requests forinformation. Eventually, the consultants translated the list ofquestions into Cari and Pushto, the two most common languages ofAfghanistan, and distributed these among a number of Afghanresistance commanders who regularly visit Peshawar. 2.4 Initially, the consultants encounteredenormous reluctance on the part of the cross -border agenciesto provide any information regarding their operations inside Afghanistan. Knowing that UNHCR would be compelled to establish formalcontacts with the Kabul regime concerning any repatriation planning,the agencies feared that the information they provided the consultants wouldeventually fall into the hands of the Kabul regime andthereby jeopardize the security of their activities. Subsequent guarantees from UNHCR thatt.e information provided would remain inPakistan generated a better level of cooperation among the agencies. At this writing, the agencies are preparing more comprehensiveaccounts on the scope of their activities than whatwas eventually provided for the preparation of this report. These accounts represent,to a certain extent, a form of self -evaluation thatthe agencies heretofore had been unable to undertake because of limited resources andpersonnel. However, the agencies have realizedthe importance of information sharing among themselves and have formed a number of committeesin an attempt to coordinate their activites ina more organized fashi,n (see Appendix III for a. descriptionof these committees). 2.5 Two data base systems were setup to store and manage the information that was solicited by theconsultants through the lists of questions, and through-interviewswith knowledgeable individuals. Reports issued by the various cooperative committees ofcross -border and refugee assistance agenciesregarding conditions inside Afghanistan were also edited foruse (see References). A text -based data management system knownas "ask Sam" was customized by the Management Information Systems Servicesunit of UNHCR Headquarters for use in Peshawar to organize the more than two megabytesof text that had been computerized by the end of the project phase I period. Quantatative data regarding the sizeof the refugee population, ethnic and tribal organizationand areas of origin in Afghanistan were, and continue to be, entered intoa Dbase III programme designed by the consultants to manage information gathered on thesesubjects. 3. THE REPORT basic overview of the 2.6 Chapter III of this report provides a population and economy of Afghanistan before1979, and outlines the general understanding of the effects of adecade of armed conflict and political upheaval on Afghansociety. This chapter also examines the social and politicalconsiderations that will effect refugee return. Chapter IV outlines the basic conditionsfor planning and implementing repatriationassistance in Afghanistan from the point of view of policy concernsand sectoral (i.e., food, shelter, storage and health)requirements. Chapter V briefly examines some of the areas inwhich the refugee assistance programme in Pakistan can be reoriented tosupport repatriation planning and devised implementation. Chapter VI examines the six planning regions for organising assistance toAfghanistan. Information on existing agricultural conditions, the level of wardamage, the ethnic and political characteristics of the resistance,and routes of access is presented, as well as information related tothe refugees and displaced populations that originated ineach region. The existing level of NGO and resistance resources --medical, agricultural and administrative -- is also considered. Finally, Section VII reviews the preliminary findings of the consultantteam, reiterates general recommendations and proposes directions forthe information gathering process in the near future. Detailed information regarding administration, origin of refugees, logisticsof repatriation, health conditions and medical resources are containedin the tables of Annex I. A profile of the Afghan resistanceparties and a list of prominent resistance commanders active inAfghanistan is presented in Annex II. Annex III provides a profile of-refugee assistanceand cross -border NGO activities and AnnexIV contains a comprehensive directory of NGOs active in Peshawar and Quetta. 4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2.7 This report is a synthesis of ideas and perspectivesfrom sources that are far too numerous tomention. Nevertheless, a number of individuals must be acknowledged for their invaluableassistance in gathering the data on which this report is based, andin educating the reporter regarding the interpretation of the