1 26 May 2010 AFGHANISTAN REVIEW Inside This Issue Economic Stabilization Governance & Participation This document is intended to provide an overview of relevant sector events in Afghanistan from 19 May - 25 May 2010. More Humanitarian Assistance comprehensive information is available on the Civil-Military Overview Infrastructure (CMO) at www.cimicweb.org. Hyperlinks to original source material Justice & Reconciliation are highlighted in blue and underlined in the embedded text. Security Social Well-Being For further information on CFC activities related to Afghanistan or inquiries about this publication, please contact the Afghanistan Team Manager: Valeria Davanzo, [email protected] or the Afghanistan Editor: Amber Ram- sey, [email protected] ECONOMIC STABILIZATION Matthew Hall, [email protected] / +1 757-683-5273 Back to top An ABC News broadcast reports that the US military gated and for high-profit fruit and saffron, farmers is refocusing its attention on Afghan drug traffickers must think about additional resources for process- rather than poppy-producing farmers who depend ing and marketing, which many have little or no on the lucrative crop to survive. Soldiers in Kandahar access to. province are now working with local farmers to pro- mote alternative crops; however they have cut back There are several reports suggesting development military pressure on farmers to destroy their poppy programmes aimed at invigorating Afghan agricul- fields to prevent from alienating or further impover- ture may be seeing some success. Local Shamshad ishing the farming communities. The military now TV reports that the wheat harvest in Helmand prov- targets drug traffickers who process and resell the ince is expected to increase this year due to poppy in the form of opium. According to the article, "improved seeds, chemical fertilizers and other fa- US troops have successfully confiscated 10,000 cilities," including an industrial park that is still un- pounds of opium before any profit was able to make der construction where wheat will be milled and it into the hands of the Taliban. stored. According to the Deputy Governor of Hel- mand, the United States Agency for International In a recent report, the Integrated Regional Informa- Development (USAID) donated 300 tractors, while tion Network (IRIN) approaches the difficult choice 27,000 farmers in the province received seeds and faced by Afghan farmers when deciding which crops fertilizer. Cultivation programmes in Balkh province to grow. Wheat is considered a strategic crop and a have been extended for fruit orchards, says the staple food and can be grown in areas of Afghani- MAIL Provincial Director. According to Pajhwok Af- stan without expensive irrigation infrastructure, says ghan News, more than 3,000 additional hectares IRIN, but wheat crops yield low prices (USD 500- will be cultivated under two separate projects 600/hectare) and despite seeing several good har- funded by the European Union (EU) and the World vests, Afghanistan still imports a large amount from Bank. Afghan officials say 2,000 saplings will be other countries. The Ministry of Agriculture, Irriga- provided for 10 districts in the province. So far, USD tion and Livestock (MAIL) has been pushing a num- 17 million has been spent by the World Bank; 769 ber of alternative crops including saffron (USD orchards have already been planted with prepara- 25,000/hectare) and fruits such as pomegranates tions underway for 1,200 more. A bumper harvest is (up to USD 16,000/hectare) that are more lucrative expected in the Arghandad district of Kandahar but require expensive irrigation systems. According province, says Pajhwok. Over the past six months, to IRIN only one-third of Afghan farmland is irri- USAID has been operating its Afghanistan Vouchers 2 for Increased Production in Agriculture Plus (AVIVA positive growth, farmers in the province have called Plus) programme in the district, which has supplied on the government to provide support in marketing local farmers with pesticides and fertilizers every and transport to make use of the successful har- month. According to the article, 60% of the district's vest. (Comments? Click here) agricultural land is devoted to fruit trees, the 'vast majority' of which are pomegranate. Despite the FOR MORE DISCUSSION CLICK HERE GOVERNANCE & PARTICIPATION Ann-Kristin Otto, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4368 Back to top During its session on 22 May, the Wolesi Jirga plaints from candidates whose names were re- (Lower House of Parliament) refused to debate any moved from the preliminary candidate list of the bills until Afghan President Hamid Karzai presents Independent Election Commission (IEC). The candi- the eleven remaining candidates for ministerial dates‟ names were removed because they did not posts, Pajhwok Afghan News reports. On 19 May, fulfil the prerequisites for running in the 18 Septem- Members of Parliament (MPs) had given Karzai a ber parliamentary elections. IEC spokesman Noor deadline of three days to introduce the remaining Mohammad Noor told Pajhwok that most of the re- nominees to parliament for a vote of confidence, moved candidates had failed to provide the mini- which passed with no action from the presidential mum of 1,000 supporter cards required for their palace. Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mohammad Yunis candidacy. Qanuni told Pajhwok that no committees would hold regular meetings until the candidates were intro- A dispute between Hazara and Kuchi groups in War- duced. MPs warned of growing tensions between the dak province (refer to CFC‟s 19 May Afghanistan parliament and government, with no new candidates Review, Governance & Participation section) was being introduced since January. A Tolo TV report resolved following the visit of a high-level delega- suggests that Karzai had promised to introduce the tion from Kabul, Shamshad TV reports. Upon arri- remaining candidates after his trip to Washington val, the government delegation imposed a ceasefire DC, which concluded on 14 May. and banned the Kuchi from entering the controver- sial areas. Wardak Chief of Police Zawar Zahed told The governor of Bamian province and Afghanistan‟s Shamshad TV that the orders given by the Ministry only female governor, Habiba Sarabi, refused to step of Interior (MoI) have been executed in the two down on Sunday following a demonstration by pro- affected districts. The disputed area was used by vincial council members in Bamian city calling for her Kuchi nomads to transfer their livestock from Ghor removal from office, Pajhwok writes. According to to Bamian province and the land dispute dates back the report, approximately 1,000 people participated several years. The report suggests that the most in the protest, which Governor Sarabi called politi- recent conflict between the two groups resulted in cally motivated and organised by her opponents. 14 casualties. According to Pajhwok, Afghan Vice- The protesters accused the governor of not properly President Karim Khalili visited the site of the ethnic addressing development needs in the province and clashes to monitor the implementation of the gov- not acting on her promises of a USD 40 million de- ernment directive and to ensure that peace and velopment budget. stability were restored. (Comments? Click here) According to Pajhwok, the Electoral Complaints OR ORE ISCUSSION LICK ERE Commission (ECC) has received more than 250 com- F M D C H HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE Amber Ramsey, [email protected] / +1 757-683-4385 Back to top Pajhwok Afghan News reports that the Governor of Following the meeting, de Mistura assured the gov- Kandahar province, Turialay Wisa, complained that ernor that the UN would strengthen its activities in little relief has been delivered to Kandahar residents the province and reiterated the UN‟s commitment to despite the presence of a number of UN offices in be “actively present in the region.” the capital city. Wisa made these remarks during a meeting with UN Special Representative of the Sec- According to a recent article from the Institute for retary General Staffan de Mistura in Kandahar on 20 War & Peace Reporting (IWPR), residents of Marjah May. Among other things, Wisa condemned the UN‟s continue to flee the area as the security situation decision to cut back its operations in Kandahar in deteriorates. Many residents claim they have no late April due to the deteriorating security situation. choice but to flee as they are caught between fear 3 of the foreign forces and counter-attacks by Taliban the past nine years, returning refugees have faced fighters. At the same time, the head of the Afghan an array of difficulties including housing shortages, Red Crescent Society provincial office in Helmand unemployment, lack of education and healthcare explains that the Red Crescent Society is running out and insecurity. Since UNHCR‟s Voluntary Repatria- of resources to assist those fleeing the fighting. In tion Programme began in 2002, more than 3.6 mil- the recently released International Committee of the lion Afghans have returned home from Pakistan and Red Cross 2009 Annual Report the ICRC claims that 865,000 have returned from Iran. Despite these the humanitarian response to contemporary conflict positive indicators, Pajhwok warns that unemploy- must be better adapted to meet the complex needs ment and insecurity in Afghanistan continues to of the people caught in them. According to ICRC, prompt Afghan youth to leave the country in search conflict situations such as Afghanistan require a sus- of a better life as refugees elsewhere. tained, flexible and multifaceted humanitarian re- sponse and the humanitarian community must re- In an innovative effort, the World Food Programme double their efforts to minimise the impact of armed (WFP) hosted a round-table discussion in Rome conflict and other violence on civilians. An ICRC Op- with some of the world‟s leading experts on supply erational Update gives details on a number of the chain controls and risk management to more effec- organisations‟ ongoing activities in some of the tively deliver food aid to those in natural disaster country‟s most volatile provinces where many other and conflict situations such as in Afghanistan.