DOCSLIB.ORG

Despair Or Hope: Rural Livelihoods and Opium Poppy Dynamics in Afghanistan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Despair Or Hope: Rural Livelihoods and Opium Poppy Dynamics in Afghanistan Despair or Hope: Rural Livelihoods and Opium Poppy Dynamics in Afghanistan Paul Fishstein August 2014 European Union Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Synthesis Paper Despair or Hope: Rural Livelihoods and Opium Poppy Dynamics in Afghanistan Paul Fishstein August 2014 This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of AREU and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union. 2014 Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Editing: Ann Buxbaum Cover photo: Clockwise from top left: Vegetable fields, Chimtal District, Balkh Province, May 2013; opium poppy field, Jurm District, Badakhshan Province, May 2013; land prepared for cultivation, north of the Boghra Canal, Helmand Province, April 2012; widespread opium poppy cultivation in the Pirakhel Valley, Khogiani District, Nangarhar Province, April 2013. All photos by OSDR. Layout: Ahmad Sear Alamyar AREU Publication Code: 1421E © 2014 Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of AREU. Some rights are reserved. This publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted only for non- commercial purposes and with written credit to AREU and the author. Where this publication is reproduced, stored or transmitted electronically, a link to AREU’s website (www.areu.org.af) should be provided. Any use of this publication falling outside of these permissions requires prior written permission of the publisher, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Permission can be sought by emailing [email protected] or by calling +93 (0) 799 608 548. ii AREU Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit 2014 About the Author Paul Fishstein (MS, Agricultural and Resource Economics) is a former director of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Since 1977, he has worked in the implementation of development and humanitarian programmes and in research in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is currently an independent consultant. About the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) is an independent research institute based in Kabul. AREU’s mission is to inform and influence policy and practice by conducting high-quality, policy-relevant research and actively disseminating the results, and by promoting a culture of research and learning. To achieve its mission AREU engages with policymakers, civil society, researchers and students to promote their use of AREU’s research and its library, to strengthen their research capacity, and to create opportunities for analysis, reflection and debate. AREU was established in 2002 by the assistance community in Afghanistan and has a Board of Directors comprised of representatives of donor organizations, the United Nations and other multilateral agencies, and non-governmental organizations. AREU currently receives core funds from the Embassy of Finland, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Specific projects in 2014 are currently being funded by the European Union (EU), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the University of Central Asia (UCA), United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Embassy of Finland. Despair or Hope: Rural Livelihoods and Opium Poppy Dynamics in Afghanistan iii 2014 Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Acknowledgements The author wishes to thank Sayed Mohammad Azam, William Byrd, Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy and David Mansfield for their insightful reviews of a draft version of this paper. He extends special thanks and appreciation to David Mansfield, whose past and current work makes up such a significant part of the evidence base and analysis. He wishes also to thank the field and office staff at the Organisation for Sustainable Development and Research who conducted most of the fieldwork and provided valuable analysis and insights, Alcis Ltd., for production of the maps and Mudasir Nazar at World Food Programme/Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping for providing updated wage data. Finally, appreciation goes to Ann Buxbaum for her patience, interest and skilled editing. Paul Fishstein August 2014 iv AREU Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit 2014 Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................1 1. Introduction .............................................................................................5 1.1 Background ......................................................................... 5 1.2 AREU research on the opium economy and rural livelihoods ............... 6 2. Methodology and caveats ............................................................................7 2.1 Methodology ........................................................................ 7 2.2 Caveats .............................................................................. 8 3. Opium poppy in Afghanistan ........................................................................ 10 3.1 History of cultivation and production in Afghanistan ........................10 3.2 Counternarcotics in Afghanistan since 2001 ...................................11 4. Main themes/findings: dynamics of opium poppy cultivation and rural livelihoods ....... 14 4.1 Not all geographical areas are equal: the need to differentiate areas and households ...................................................................................15 4.1.1 Geographical areas within one province .........................15 4.1.2 Households ............................................................19 4.2 The larger economic, political and governance context ...................21 4.2.1 Economic realities ...................................................21 4.2.2 Local multipliers: the effect of opium poppy ...................24 4.2.3 The political and governance context ...........................26 4.3 Where transition happens ........................................................33 4.3.1 The right economic conditions .....................................33 4.3.2 Non-farm and off-farm income .....................................37 4.3.3 The wrong conditions ................................................38 4.4 Coercive approaches .............................................................40 4.4.1 Short-term reductions through coercive approaches are possible with a strong and motivated leader and overwhelming force ...........40 4.4.2 Coercive approaches are susceptible to erosion and collapse 42 4.4.3 Coercive approaches have unintended consequences at the household and higher levels ...................................................44 5. Summary, policy implications and recommendations .......................................... 54 5.1 Summary ............................................................................54 5.1.1 Transition to licit cultivation is possible .........................54 5.1.2 Understanding the context .........................................55 5.1.3 The role and effects of coercive approaches ....................56 5.1.4 Policies and programmes ............................................57 5.2 Policy implications and recommendations .....................................58 Bibliography .................................................................................................. 61 Despair or Hope: Rural Livelihoods and Opium Poppy Dynamics in Afghanistan v 2014 Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Tables Table 1: Summary characteristics of zones in Central Helmand ...................................... 16 Table 2: Gross returns to alternate cropping patterns, Nangarhar and Badakhshan .............. 23 Table 3: Hypothetical cash equivalent returns to sowing all land to wheat ....................... 39 Table 4: Returns to opium poppy per jerib in Helmand dasht under different yield and land tenure assumptions, US dollars .................................................................................... 47 Boxes Box 1: A thumbnail history of cultivation in the four provinces ...................................... 11 Box 2: Major developments and initiatives in counternarcotics ...................................... 13 Box 3: The roles of females ............................................................................... 21 Box 4: The Afghan Local Police and counternarcotics .................................................. 28 Box 5: Nangarhar land dispute ............................................................................. 30 Box 6: Managing eradication in Badakhshan ............................................................. 32 Box 7: Getting it right on prices ........................................................................... 36 Box 8: Development assistance in Helmand: priming the pump or stealing it? .................... 52 Figures Figure 1: Opium poppy cultivation, national level,1995-2013 (hectares) ........................... 10 Figure 2: Expansion of cultivated area north of Boghra Canal, Helmand, 1999-2010 ............. 18 Figure 3: Post-eradication fields in Jurm District, Badakhshan, 2013 ............................... 32 Figure 4: Wages for unskilled daily
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Aid Afghanistan Education Assessment of Learning Outcomes
    AID AFGHANISTAN EDUCATION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES FINAL REPORT Submitted by Stephen McLaughlin, Ed.D. Consultant to The Asia Foundation-Afghanistan September 24, 2011 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 6 Assessment Approach and Methods 6 Extent to which the AAE Mission is Fulfilled by AAE Schools 7 Extent to which the AAE Learning Environment Yields Effective Results 9 The Extent to which AAE Education is Cost-Effective 17 Future Issues and Opportunities for AAE Schools 18 Conclusion 21 Recommendations 22 Appendices 23 3 Executive Summary This assessment applies to theAid Afghanistan Education Program (AAE)portion of the project Strengthening Education in Afghanistan, funded under a cooperative agreement between The Asia Foundation and USAID Afghanistan. It assesses the programmatic impact of AAE’s schools for mostly female disadvantaged students, which is defined by research questions relating to: the (1) current and future need for AAE schools’ services; (2) extent that AAE schools create a learning environment that produces effective results; (3) extent that AAE-delivered education is commensurate with government-school education; and (4) cost-effectiveness of AAE schools. The AAE Program consists of 13 schools with combined primary and secondary grade levels currently located in Kabul and eight other provinces, mostly, in the North: Badakhshan, Balkh, Bamyan, Ghazni, Jazjan, Parwan, Samangan, and Serepul.All but one school, in Jazjan Province with 114 boys, enrolls girls and young women who have been unable to begin or complete their education in government schools. Total AAE enrollment is 3,500, while the most recent total of actively attending students is 2,786.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} the Compleat Khash Volume One Never a Backward Glance by Brian Lumley Khash
    Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Compleat Khash Volume One Never a Backward Glance by Brian Lumley Khash. If you have information about this name , share it in the comments area below! Numerology information Khash: Name Number: 2. Meaning: Partnership, Sense, Other, Passive, Assistance, Acceptance, Intimacy, Peace. Definition funny of Khash: What a Khash, of course he would get that. Songs about Khash: Khash Khash by Ali Nazari from the Album Zagoo Sorud Khash by Dinmohammad Zangeshai from the Album Kapotan(Regional Music of Iran- Sistan o Baloochestan) Books about Khash: Tarra Khash: Hrossak!: Tales of the Primal Land - Mar 21, 2006 by Brian Lumley Sorcery in Shad (The complete Khash) - 1994 by Brian Lumley "Hatred is sacred": Says Syrian Minister of Education, Suleyman Al-Khash (May 1968) Extracts from Arab school. - 1968 by Hess, E The Compleat Khash: Never a Backward Glance - May 1991 by Brian Lumley The Compleat Khash: Sorcery in Shad - Oct 1994 by Brian Lumley Iran: Nutrition Survey of the Armed Forces. Supplement No. 1 -- The Khash Survey - 1956 by Morteza Tadayon The Compleat Khash: Volume One, Never a Backward Glance - 1991 by Brian Lumley The Compleat Khash: Vol. One, Never a Backward Glance - 1991 by Brian Lumley The Compleat Khash: Volume One; Never a Backward Chance - 1991 by Brian Lumley and Jim Pitts The Complete Khash: Volume Two, Sorcery in Shad - 1994 by Brian Lumley SORCERY IN SHAD: THE COMPLEAT KHASH: VOLUME TWO - 1994 by Brian Lumley THE COMPLEAT KHASH VOLUME 1 - NEVER A BACKWARD GLANCE - 1991 by Brian Lumley. Wiki information Khash: Khash Dish. Khash, Kale Pache, Pacha is a dish of boiled cow's head.
    [Show full text]
  • AIHRC-UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights Presidential and Provincial Council Elections Third Report 1 August – 21 October 2009
    Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission AIHRC AIHRC-UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights Presidential and Provincial Council Elections Third Report 1 August – 21 October 2009 United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan UNAMA Table of Contents Summary of Findings i Introduction 1 I. Insecurity and Intimidation 1 Intensified violence and intimidation in the lead up to elections 1 Insecurity on polling day 2 II. Right to Vote 2 Insecurity and voting 3 Relocation or merging of polling centres and polling stations 4 Women’s participation 4 III. Fraud and Irregularities 5 Ballot box stuffing 6 Campaigning at polling stations and instructing voters 8 Multiple voter registration cards 8 Proxy voting 9 Underage voting 9 Deficiencies 9 IV. Freedom of Expression 9 V. Conclusion 10 Endnotes 11 Annex 1 – ECC Policy on Audit and Recount Evaluations 21 Summary of Findings The elections took place in spite of a challenging environment that was characterised by insecurity and logistical and human resource difficulties. These elections were the first to be fully led and organised by the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) took the lead in providing security for the elections. It was also the first time that arrangements were made for prisoners and hospitalised citizens, to cast their votes. The steady increase of security-related incidents by Anti-Government Elements (AGEs) was a dominant factor in the preparation and holding of the elections. Despite commendable efforts from the ANSF, insecurity had a bearing on the decision of Afghans to participate in the elections Polling day recorded the highest number of attacks and other forms of intimidation for some 15 years.
    [Show full text]
  • EASO Country of Origin Information Report Afghanistan Security Situation
    European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Afghanistan Security Situation - Update May 2018 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Afghanistan Security Situation - Update May 2018 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN : 978-92-9494-860-1 doi: 10.2847/248967 © European Asylum Support Office 2018 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. EASO COI REPORT AFGHANISTAN: SECURITY SITUATION – UPDATE — 3 Acknowledgements This report was largely based on information provided by the Austrian COI Department and EASO would like to acknowledge the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum for this. Furthermore, the following national asylum and migration departments have contributed by reviewing the report: Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Cedoca - Center for Documentation and Research, Denmark, The Danish Immigration Service, Section Country of Origin Information, France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation and Research Division, Italy, Ministry of the Interior, National Commission for the Right of Asylum International and EU Affairs, COI unit, Slovakia, Migration Office, Department of Documentation and Foreign Cooperation, Sweden, Swedish Migration Agency, Lifos – Centre for Country of Origin Information and Analysis. Reference is made to the Disclaimer regarding the responsibility of reviewers.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan Opium Survey 2012 MAY 2013 Afghanistan Opium Survey 2012
    Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Counter Narcotics Ministry of Counter Narcotics Vienna International Centre, PO Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria Banayee Bus Station, Jalalabad Main Road Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-0, Fax: (+43-1) 26060-5866, www.unodc.org 9th District, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel.: (+93) 799891851, www.mcn.gov.af AFGHANISTAN OPIUM SURVEY 2011 OPIUM SURVEY AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan Opium Survey 2012 2013 MAY Afghanistan Opium Survey 2012 ABBREVIATIONS AGE Anti-government Elements ANP Afghan National Police CNPA Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan GLE Governor-led Eradication ICMP Illicit Crop Monitoring Programme (UNODC) ISAF International Security Assistance Force MCN Ministry of Counter-Narcotics UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following organizations and individuals contributed to the implementation of the Afghanistan Opium Survey and to the preparation of this report: Ministry of Counter-Narcotics: Mohammad Ibrahim Azhar (Deputy Minister), Haroon Rashid Sherzad (Deputy Minister), Mir Abdullah Sadat (Director of Narcotics Survey Directorate), Saraj Ahmad (Deputy Director of Narcotics Survey Directorate), Nasir Ahmad (Deputy Director of Narcotics Survey Directorate), Shiraz Khan Hadawe (GIS & Remote Sensing Analyst), Mohammad Sadiq Rizaee (GIS & Remote Sensing Analyst), , Mohammad Ajmal (Database Officer), Sayed Najibullah Ahmadi (Economic Specialist) ,Sahar Yousofzai (Data Entry Clerk), Mohammad Hakim Hayat (Data Entry Clerk), Sayed Shainsha Sadat (Data Entry Clerk), Fazel Karim Alimi (Admin/Finance Assistant) and Hamida Hussaini (Administrative Officer). Survey Coordinators: Sayed Eshaq Masumi (Central Region), Abdul Mateen (Eastern Region), Abdul Latif Ehsan (Western Region), Fida Mohammad (Northern Region), Mohammed Ishaq Anderabi (North-eastern Region), Khalil Ahmad Noori (Southern Region) and Khiali Jan Mangal (Eradication Verification and Opium Yield coordinator).
    [Show full text]
  • THE ANSO REPORT -Not for Copy Or Sale
    The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office Issue: 74 16-31 May 2011 ANSO and our donors accept no liability for the results of any activity conducted or omitted on the basis of this report. THE ANSO REPORT -Not for copy or sale- Inside this Issue COUNTRY SUMMARY Central Region 2-7 In the CENTRAL RE- Kumri while night raids and effectively to repel attacks 8-15 Northern Region GION, a lone BBIED man- ‘reintegration's’ occur else- in Mano Gai. In NAN- Western Region 16-18 aged to penetrate a military where. In JAWZJAN, GAHAR, NGO staff are hospital in KABUL, killing 6, AOG target cell phone arrested by IMF and threat- Eastern Region 19-24 despite a generally improved towers and establish vehicle ened by AOG while a sub- Southern Region 25-28 level of ANSF capacity. In check posts on the Shiber- stantial SVBIED kills 15 in WARDAK, the migration of gan-Sar-i-Pul road. In SAR- an attack on the Regional 29 ANSO Info Page Kuchis caused tension in I-PUL itself, AOGs target Training Centre. In NURI- Daymirdad while in Nirkh ANP and militias in Sayyad. STAN, a major AOG forc- IEA and HIG came to In the WESTERN RE- es captures Do Ab district. YOU NEED TO KNOW blows. In LOGAR, local GION, on May 30th a Up to 150 persons– includ- AOGs stole equipment from combination of suicide ing ANSF and civilians– • General Daoud killed in deminers while in PARWAN are killed in IMF airstrikes explosion in Takhar bombers, IEDs and infan- ANSF operations in the try engaged the PRT in HE- to recapture it.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Evaluation Report
    1. 2. FINAL EVALUATION REPORT Project Number: AFG/G76 Project Title: Alternative Livelihoods, Capacity Building at National and Regional Level Country : Afghanistan External Evaluator Lenard Milich UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna – March 2009 1 Table of Contents List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................... iii Summary matrix of findings, supporting evidence, and recommendations.........................................................1 Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................................4 a) Description of the project ............................................................................................................................4 b) Major findings of the evaluation .................................................................................................................4 c) Lessons learned and best practices ..............................................................................................................5 I. Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................6 A. Background and Context of the Project..................................................................................................6 A.1. The AL Context in Afghanistan ..........................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • AFGHANISTAN: Major Conflict-Induced Displacements In
    AFGHANISTAN: Major Conflict-Induced Displacements in Western, Northern and North-Eastern Regions Based on reports from Regional IDP Task Forces (March - June, as of 25 June 2015) SITUATION OVERVIEW The start of the traditional spring fighting season has caused significant population movements in the Northern and Western regions, specifically in Badakhshan, Bagdhis and Kunduz provinces. Smaller scale conflict displacement has also been recorded in Baghlan, Farah, Faryab, Ghor, Herat, Jawzjan and Sar-e-pul Provinces. BADAKHSHANTAJIKISTAN Dar-e-B. BADGHIS and FARYAB KUNDUZ and BAGHLAN Shaki Darwaz 1,283 IDP families reportedly displaced from Ab Kamari, 4,515 IDP families in Kunduz City, displaced from 6 859 IDP families have been assessed and assisted in Bala Murghab and Qadis identified in Badghis in April. 709 surrounding districts since April, have been verified and Badakhshan Province since February. TAJIKISTAN Kofab IDP families identified and assessed in Faryab (MarchKhan-e-C. - May) assisted. 279 IDP familiesKhwahan were assessed by the end of May and received Bagh TAJIKISTAN Some 519 verified IDP families concentrated in Qorghan Over 25,000 families from Aliabad, Chardarah, Dasht-e-Archi, assistance in mid June: 104 families were displaced from Jorm to Raghestan Maymana, who were displaced from surrounding Emamsaheb, Khanabad, Kunduz and Qala-e-Zal to Kunduz city and Faizabad district; 91 families from JormShighnan to Baharak district; 41 families fromYawan Kunduz to Faizabad district; 15 families from Jorm to districts, received assistance in April. An additional Qaramqol surrounding districts submitted petitions to DoRR in April and May.Yang. Chahab 190 families were identified and assisted in May.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Copied from Internet by Library of C
    Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Case Study Series Opium Poppy Strikes Back The 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces Adam Pain August 2011 European Commission Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Case Study Series OPIUM POPPY STRIKES BACK The 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces Adam Pain Funding for this research was provided by the July 2011 European Commission Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Editing and Layout: Oliver Lough Cover Photograph: Adam Pain AREU Publication Code: 1116E © 2011 Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Some rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted only for non-commercial purposes and with written credit to AREU and the author. Where this publication is reproduced, stored or transmitted electronically, a link to AREU’s website (www.areu.org.af) should be provided. Any use of this publication falling outside of these permissions requires prior written permission of the publisher, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Permission can be sought by emailing [email protected] or by calling +93 (0) 799 608 548. The views expressed in this paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of AREU. Opium Poppy Strikes Back: The 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces About the Author Adam Pain has worked on issues of rural livelihoods in the Himalayan region for the last 20 years. He is a senior research fellow at the Department of International Development, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, and a visiting professor of rural development at the Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Uppsala.
    [Show full text]
  • Opium Poppy Strikes Back the 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces
    Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Case Study Series Opium Poppy Strikes Back The 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces Adam Pain August 2011 European Commission Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Case Study Series OPIUM POPPY STRIKES BACK The 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces Adam Pain Funding for this research was provided by the July 2011 European Commission Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit Editing and Layout: Oliver Lough Cover Photograph: Adam Pain AREU Publication Code: 1116E © 2011 Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Some rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted only for non-commercial purposes and with written credit to AREU and the author. Where this publication is reproduced, stored or transmitted electronically, a link to AREU’s website (www.areu.org.af) should be provided. Any use of this publication falling outside of these permissions requires prior written permission of the publisher, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. Permission can be sought by emailing [email protected] or by calling +93 (0) 799 608 548. The views expressed in this paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of AREU. Opium Poppy Strikes Back: The 2011 Return of Opium in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces About the Author Adam Pain has worked on issues of rural livelihoods in the Himalayan region for the last 20 years. He is a senior research fellow at the Department of International Development, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, and a visiting professor of rural development at the Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Uppsala.
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan Security Situation - Update
    European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Afghanistan Security Situation - Update May 2018 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Afghanistan Security Situation - Update May 2018 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN : 978-92-9494-860-1 doi: 10.2847/248967 © European Asylum Support Office 2018 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. EASO COI REPORT AFGHANISTAN: SECURITY SITUATION – UPDATE — 3 Acknowledgements This report was largely based on information provided by the Austrian COI Department and EASO would like to acknowledge the Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum for this. Furthermore, the following national asylum and migration departments have contributed by reviewing the report: Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Cedoca - Center for Documentation and Research, Denmark, The Danish Immigration Service, Section Country of Origin Information, France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation and Research Division, Italy, Ministry of the Interior, National Commission for the Right of Asylum International and EU Affairs, COI unit, Slovakia, Migration Office, Department of Documentation and Foreign Cooperation, Sweden, Swedish Migration Agency, Lifos – Centre for Country of Origin Information and Analysis. Reference is made to the Disclaimer regarding the responsibility of reviewers.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Witness with Sincere Thanks to All Those Who Contributed to This Report
    global witness With sincere thanks to all those who contributed to this report. WAR IN THE TREASURY OF THE PEOPLE | JUNE 2016 1 “We are at risk of the curse of plenty, [the] curse of resources.” Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan1 “The mine belongs to the whole nation. It is for all of us.” ‘Haji Anwar’, a miner from Badakhshan2 “This mine is itself a general (…) It will make people fight.” ‘Haji Bashir’, an elder from the district of Kuran wa Munjan3 2 WAR IN THE TREASURY OF THE PEOPLE | JUNE 2016 Contents Executive Summary 6 Lapis and tourmaline: jewels in the crown 6 Signs of hope? 8 Recommendations to the Afghan government 8 Recommendations for Afghanistan’s international partners 9 I. Introduction 12 Box 1: Key Players 14 II. A prize worth fighting for: mining as a direct source of conflict 15 Box 2: Zulmai Mujadidi and the levers of power in Badakhshan 16 The Malek coup 16 Box 3: Fighting since the coup: an overview 18 A lost chance for peace? 19 A game of networks 19 A target for the Taliban: mining and the insurgency 20 Diagram: Links between Badakhshan and national political actors 21 Mines and the Islamic State 22 III. Fueling conflict: abuses and resentment around mining 24 Kuran wa Munjan: a people’s uprising? 24 New faces, same system 24 ‘Like a lion hunting’: tourmaline mining and abuses in Deodarra 25 Abuses by Afghan Local Police forces 27 Fuel on the Fire: Abuses and the Insurgency 28 “The government is more rotten than the Taliban” 30 IV.
    [Show full text]