U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
CENTRAL ASIA TASK FORCE
CENTRAL ASIA REGION - Complex Emergency

Situation Report #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2002    October 4, 2001


Note: the last report, titled Afghanistan – Complex Emergency Situation
Report #3, was dated September 27, 2001.

BACKGROUND

Two decades of war in Afghanistan, including a decade-long Soviet
occupation and ensuing civil strife, have left Afghanistan impoverished
and mired in an extended humanitarian crisis.  Government infrastructure,
including the ability to deliver the most basic health, education, and
other social services, has collapsed.  Significant resources are directed
to the war effort.  Severe restrictions by the Taliban, including a
restriction on women working outside the home, have added to the impact of
poverty, particularly on the many households lacking able-bodied adult
men.  The Taliban now controls about 90 percent of Afghanistan's
territory.

Humanitarian prospects worsened sharply in Afghanistan in September 2001
due to developments both inside and outside the country.  Osama bin Laden,
who currently resides in Afghanistan under Taliban protection, is the
leading suspect in the September 11 terrorist attack against the United
States.  Fears of a possible U.S. reprisal have triggered a population
exodus from major Afghan cities, both towards other points in Afghanistan
and towards the country's borders.  International staff of most relief
agencies have also withdrawn, leaving the status of relief programs in
question at a critical moment.  In addition, even prior to the September
11 there were signs that relations between the international community and
the Taliban were worsening significantly.  These new developments added to
an existing crisis of extensive displacement stemming from civil conflict
and a debilitating three-year drought.  The new crisis has also threatened
to affect the entire region, with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) predicting the influx of up to 1.5 million refugees to neighboring
countries in the event of substantial new conflict in Afghanistan.



NUMBERS AFFECTED

Since September 11, there have been 20,000 known new Afghan arrivals in
Pakistan, according to UNHCR. An unknown additional number, estimated in
the thousands, has crossed the Afghanistan-Pakistan border at informal
points. There have been no new reports of Afghans crossing into Iran.

Since September 2000, civil strife and drought have driven an estimated
180,000 new refugees into Pakistan.  The United Nations estimates that
drought and conflict-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) in
Afghanistan number at least 900,000.  Longer-term conflict-displaced
estimates are as high as one million countrywide.  Drought has affected at
least 12 million Afghans.  An estimated 2.6 million old caseload refugees
from the Soviet occupation era remain outside Afghanistan's borders in
Iran and Pakistan, according to UNHCR.  Afghanistan's total population is
estimated at nearly 26 million.



Total FY 2001 / 2002 U.S. Government (USG) Assistance to Afghanistan
$185,147,625



CURRENT SITUATION

National Overview.  U.N. Agencies issued a "Donor Alert" on September 27,
calling for more than $584 million in funding for humanitarian assistance
and protection programs for up to 7.5 million Afghans, including up to 6
million vulnerable people inside Afghanistan and up to another 1.5 million
refugees outside Afghanistan's borders.  The 1.5 million includes UNHCR
estimates of a possible influx of up to 1 million refugees into Pakistan;
400,000 into Iran;  50,000 into Tajikistan; and 50,000 into Turkmenistan.

Since September 11, substantial population displacements have taken place
from the major Afghan cities of Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, and Kandahar due
to fear of a possible U.S. retaliatory strike.  Taliban conscription
efforts in Kabul and Herat were reportedly an additional factor in
spurring displacement.  Despite the exodus, there were also reports that
some people had begun to return to these cities as the fear of an imminent
attack subsided.

A Taliban edict banning almost all communications with entities outside
Afghanistan continued to hamper efforts to maintain international
humanitarian programs with local staff.  The exception to the
communication ban has been Herat, where the U.N. was permitted use of one
radio set under Taliban supervision.  UNOCHA reported that a similar
arrangement has been agreed upon in Kabul, where a radio will be set up
for U.N.  staff use inside a Taliban ministry building.  Relief agencies
continue to explore options for communications that would be acceptable to
the Taliban, including the use of public call boxes under Taliban
supervision.

Food Security.  On October 1, 218 MT of U.N. World Food Program (WFP) food
aid transported from Pakistan arrived in Kabul.  This shipment was the
first new food aid delivery since WFP halted cross-border food transport
on September 12, citing the closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,
fuel shortages, and a lack of commercial trucks.  Following WFP's
resumption of cross-border transport, an estimated 2,500 MT of new food
aid is now in transit or has been delivered within Afghanistan.  WFP
reported October 4 that its food deliveries now average 500 MT per day,
sufficient to feed an estimated one million people, and WFP is increasing
deliveries with a goal of 52,000 MT of food per month.

WFP food assistance now arriving in country is being delivered through
Pakistan, with additional shipments planned through Turkmenistan,
Tajikistan, and Iran for the north, northeastern, and western provinces.
Food assistance is being delivered to beneficiaries through WFP's local
NGO partners.  However, in certain areas, such as Chagcharan in Ghor, a
lack of partners is making distribution difficult.

On October 4, WFP announced a new Emergency Operation (EMOP) that will
feed 7.5 million Afghans, including 6 million vulnerable people inside
Afghanistan and up to 1.5 million Afghans outside the country's borders.
WFP also announced a Special Operation that will provide region-wide
logistical support, telecommunications, humanitarian air passenger and
cargo transport, trucking, and security.

Pakistan.  As of October 3, UNHCR's tally of known refugee arrivals in
Pakistan since September 11 had not risen above 20,000.  Reportedly,
thousands more have crossed the border at informal points.  Most of these
are believed to be staying with host families among the old caseload
refugee population.  An additional population of 20,000 Afghans that had
been waiting on the Afghan side of the Chaman border crossing near Quetta
has reportedly departed; many returned home, while others have crossed
informally into Pakistan.

As part of its planning for a potentially much larger influx of up to 1
million refugees to Pakistan, UNHCR has identified 28 camp sites in
Pakistan's North West Frontier Province as of October 4, and was also
continuing preparations for new camps in Baluchistan Province, where most
new arrivals since September 11 have entered Pakistan.  To date, UNHCR
reported that it has stockpiled more than 8,000 tents in Pakistan, and
expects to have 73,000 tents, sufficient for up to 400,000 people,
available by the end of November.  The International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported October 3 that it is also
planning to assist up to 200,000 refugees in Pakistan.  IFRC plans to work
with the Pakistani Red Crescent Society to provide tents, blankets,
clothing, primary health care, and water/sanitation support, as well as to
address other refugee-related needs that may arise.  IFRC's region-wide
contingency plans include the assistance of up to 500,000 refugees.

According to a press report, Pakistani health authorities have reported an
outbreak of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, an Ebola-like disease that
damages the circulatory system and eventually causes the collapse of major
organs.  Some 40 suspected cases and 11 deaths have been reported since
June in Quetta, raising fears of an epidemic if a new refugee influx
occurs in this area.  The U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) has not
confirmed the outbreak.


Iran.  There have been no new reports of refugees arriving in Iran.  The
Government of Iran (GOI) has continued to express a desire to assist
Afghans on the Afghanistan side of the border, rather than admitting any
new refugees.  Nonetheless, joint UNHCR-GOI contingency planning for a
possible influx of up to 400,000 Afghans has continued.  As of September
25, UNHCR and the GOI had identified 12 potential camp sites in Iran's
Khorassan and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces to house a potential refugee
influx.  UNHCR has airlifted contingency supplies to Iran, including tents
and other shelter materials.


Central Asia.  Some 10,000 IDPs who have resided on islands in the Pyandj
River along the Afghan-Tajik border since September 2000 remain in place.
Tajikistan's border has remained closed to this population, as well as to
any other refugees, and Tajikistan's government has re-asserted that
Tajikistan is unable to accept new arrivals due to conditions there.
Tajikistan is currently experiencing a severe drought that has affected up
to one million people.  UNHCR contingency plans call for up to 50,000
refugees to Tajikistan.

IOM plans to establish teams for cross-border assistance to Afghanistan's
northern provinces of Faryab and Kunduz from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan will also serve as a staging ground for WFP food shipments to
northern Afghanistan, as well as refugee contingency efforts and
cross-border operations by relief agencies such UNICEF, which is sending
medical supplies sufficient for 100,000 people for three months, plus
sanitation and shelter supplies;  and MSF, which is sending emergency
relief supplies to Ashgabat.


Afghanistan: Central, Southern, Eastern.  According to the U.N. Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), commercial activities
around the southern city of Kandahar are reported to have dropped by 90
percent since September 11.  At least half the population of Kandahar left
the city after that date due to fears of an imminent U.S. attack.  The
region surrounding Kandahar has suffered the effects of drought as well as
the economic impact of a Taliban ban on poppy cultivation.  Although a
recent request by the U.N. Deputy Regional Coordinator to visit U.N.
offices in Kandahar seized by the Taliban was rebuffed, authorities have
assured the U.N. that their local staff and property are safe.

In central Afghanistan, people have continued to leave Kabul for rural
areas, according to the U.N.  Families have been reported to be moving
towards the central Hazarajat region, and there are new reports that some
50 to 70 families from Kabul per day are arriving in the Panjshir Valley
as well.  Both the Northern Alliance-controlled Panjshir Valley and
Hazarajat are difficult to access in winter.  The key supply route to the
Panjshir from the northeast becomes impassable in winter, raising concerns
about the feasibility of providing assistance to a growing IDP population
there.  Action Contre la Faim (ACF) is currently distributing 1,300 MT of
WFP food in the Panjshir Valley.  According to the U.N., both the Eastern
and Central Regions are experiencing pressure on rural health facilities
as the population of displaced persons from Kabul grows; the number of
patients in rural clinics in the Eastern Region has reportedly doubled.

WFP warned October 4 that Afghanistan's central highlands will become
inaccessible for food deliveries once snows begin in mid-November, cutting
off up to 100,000 families from food assistance.  WFP is planning airdrops
to this region, but will require safe air corridors, approval from Afghan
authorities, and local staff support for drop zones.  WFP is also
considering "snow drops" of food that do not require drop zones.


Afghanistan:  Northern Region and Northeast.  There are currently up to an
estimated 300,000 IDPs in the Northern Region, displaced by a combination
of drought and conflict.  There are no reports of additional displacement
related to the events of September 11.  In the relatively small Northern
Alliance-controlled Northeastern Region, there have been no reports of
population movements to date.  IDPs in the Northeastern Region number an
estimated 84,000, according to UNOCHA; the leading cause of displacement
has been conflict.

WFP warned that some 400,000 people in the Northern Region provinces of
Balkh and Faryab were in danger of running out of their own food stocks as
well as food aid by the end of the week of October 1.  WFP has commenced
food deliveries from Turkmenistan to respond to this situation.

The U.N. reported October 3 that malaria is a growing concern in northern
and northeastern provinces, as well as the Eastern Region near Jalalabad.
According to UNOCHA, relief agencies are distributing 10,000 bed nets to
IDPs in the north and northeast, and WHO sub- offices have pre-positioned
anti-malarial drugs.

In Baghlan Province, the U.N. reported that Taliban officials took over
the office of HALO Trust, a British demining organization partnered with
the U.N. Mine Action Program.


Afghanistan:  Western Region.  UNOCHA reported September 25 that Taliban
recruitment efforts in Herat are generating increasing concern among the
civilian population of Herat and surrounding provinces.  The IDP influx to
Herat, which during the summer months sometimes reached 300 persons per
day, has virtually stopped.  Reportedly, IDPs are beginning to leave
Herat's camps for home areas.  USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE On October 4,
President George W. Bush announced a $320 million assistance program for
Afghanistan.  Funding will support assistance to Afghans both inside and
outside Afghanistan's borders, with support for food and a wide variety of
other relief needs. On October 4, Assistant Secretary of State for South
Asian Affairs Christina B. Rocca redeclared a complex humanitarian
disaster in Afghanistan for FY 2002.  U.S.  Ambassador to Pakistan William
B. Milam issued a disaster declaration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan on
February 2, 2001.  To date, FY 2001 and FY 2002 USG humanitarian
assistance provided by USAID/OFDA, USAID/FFP, USAID/Democracy & Governance
(DG), USDA, the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and
Migration (State/PRM), the joint Department of State/Department of Defense
Demining Program, the Department of State's Bureau International Narcotics
and Law Enforcement Affairs (State/INL) and the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC)  totals $185,147,625, including both assistance inside
Afghanistan and assistance to Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.

Despite the pullout of international humanitarian personnel from
Afghanistan, the USG remains committed to assisting vulnerable Afghans.



USAID/OFDA Assistance

Note: The previously reported $18,934,462 million in USAID/OFDA funding
represented both planned and committed funds for FY 2001.  The total
amount obligated by close of FY2001 is $12.6 million.  The balance has
been carried-over for obligation in FY2002.  Due to the events of
September 11, USAID/OFDA implementing partners are still re-assessing
their programs in light of a changing situation, including the evacuation
of international staff.  USAID/OFDA will continue programming humanitarian
activities with these agencies during FY2002 as programs are continued or
refocused to meet the most critical needs.


Personnel

To respond to the Afghanistan crisis, USAID/OFDA deployed DART to Pakistan
on June 17.  The DART continues to operate in Islamabad.  The DART is
coordinating with the Pakistan-based Afghanistan relief community,
including USG partners.

In April 2001, USAID/OFDA and State/PRM deployed an assessment team to
western and northern Afghanistan including Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif to
assess drought and nutrition conditions in affected areas.


Airlifts

First Airlift to Herat - 30,000 blankets from USAID/OFDA's stockpile to
ICRC for drought-affected families in Ghor (including transport)
$250,841

Second and third airlifts to Herat - 610 tents, 17,500 blankets, 4,800
five-gallon water jugs, four metric tons of high-protein biscuits, and
three modified World Health Organization kits, each with sufficient
supplies to treat 1,000 people for one month, via two USAID/OFDA-chartered
planes on February 9 and 16 (including transport)
$650,850

Airlift to Peshawar - 500 tents, 5,000 blankets and 100 rolls of plastic
sheeting from USAID/OFDA's stockpile for consignment to IRC for use in the
Jalozai and Shamshatoo Afghan refugee camps, plus two health kits
(including transport)
$239,000


Grants

ACF - health, nutrition, and health education for 530,000 beneficiaries in
Kabul and surrounding areas
$1,483,000

ACTED - IDP camp management and support in Baghlan
$70,000

ACTED - support via USAID/Almaty for shelter and nonfood assistance to
Afghan IDPs.
$50,000

AirServe - humanitarian transport
$200,000

CARE/US - food assistance for drought-affected populations in central,
western, and southern Afghanistan.
$415,000

CARE/US - livelihoods support for drought-affected populations in Wardak
and Ghazni.
$465,000

CARE/US - water supply and health education in Kabul
$145,000

Church World Service - humanitarian assessments
$91,350

FAO - seed multiplication
$200,000

GOAL - shelter, infrastructure, and agriculture displacement-prevention
activities in Samangan
$150,000

International Medical Aid (IMA) - health in Bamiyan and Samangan.
$100,000

International Medical Corps (IMC) - health assistance for IDPs and local
residents in Herat.
$400,000

IRC - IDP assistance in partnership with local NGOs, including management
and support for Sakhi camp for 5,000 families in Mazar-e-Sharif
$250,000

IRC - support for distribution of USAID/OFDA airlifted relief commodities
for Pakistan's Jalozai and Shamshatoo camps
$50,000

Mercy Corps International (MCI) - emergency water relief and agricultural
livelihoods support aimed at preventing displacement in Helmand.
$150,000

MCI - assistance to 3,000 war-affected IDPs with nonfood relief
commodities to meet basic heating, lighting, and cooking needs in Takhar
and Badakshan.
$1,494,000

MCI - support to vulnerable populations affected by the Taliban poppy ban
in the Helmand Valley
$100,000

Save the Children/US (SC/US) - drought-related relief activities in a
range of sectors, including health with a focus on maternal and child
care; winterization for IDPs; and cash-for-work drought activities
including well and kareze repair and digging; and wheat seed distribution.
Benefits populations in Andkhoi, Faryab;  Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh; and Kabul
$1,500,000

SC/US - nutrition surveillance in northern Afghanistan
$100,000

Shelter Now International (SNI/US) - food and nonfood assistance to
support host families sheltering 5,650 war-affected IDPs in the Rostaq
area of Takhar
$320,400

SNI/US - food-for-work construction of 4200 shelters plus water/sanitation
support in Herat's Maslakh IDP camp
$1,500,000

UNCHS/Habitat - shelter for 12,500 IDP families in Herat.
$350,000

UNCHS/Habitat - urban community-based drought and displacement response
countrywide
$200,000

UNCHS/Habitat - emergency solid waste collection in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif,
Kandahar, Herat, and Farah
$125,000

UNICEF - nutrition surveillance, health, and water/sanitation activities
country-wide
$350,000

UNOCHA - support for the purchase of nonfood relief commodities for IDPs
($200,000); support for WFP-managed food programs and implementing
partners ($300,000); and support for continued air transport services for
humanitarian goods and cargo ($100,000).
$600,000

UNOCHA - support for humanitarian coordination.
$600,000

Total USAID/OFDA FY 2001 	$12,599,441
Total USAID/OFDA FY 2002	$6,400,000

Total USAID/OFDA FY 2001/2002 	 $18,999,441



USAID/FFP

WFP - 63,810 MT of P.L. 480 Title II wheat and complementary commodities,
including a contribution for Afghan refugees in Pakistan of 4,000 MT
valued at $1.9 million

Total USAID/FFP FY 2001	$31,200,000


USAID/DG
UNCHS/Habitat - assistance for rebuilding communities for Afghan refugees
and refugees in Pakistan and Afghanistan
$200,000

International Human Rights Law Group - support for Afghan refugee women in
Pakistan
$250,000

Total USAID/DG	$450,000



USDA
WFP -  240,200 MT of 416(b) wheat

Total USDA FY 2001.	$99,800,000



State/PRM

(Note: State/PRM contributions to ICRC and UNHCR are for regional
programs.  Figures for Afghanistan-specific activities are estimates based
on a percentage of the regional total.)

ICRC - Funding for programs in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan that serve
Afghan refugees and conflict victims
$6,900,000

UNHCR - Funding for programs of the UNHCR in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
Iran that serve Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons
$16,030,000

UNOCHA - Support for immediate emergency coordination and preparedness
measures for Afghan refugee programs
$1,000,000

WFP - Transportation costs for delivery of U.S. food contributions
$589,069

CWS - Primary health care, preventive and reproductive health care, and
community health education for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and returnees
in Afghanistan
$154,507

IMC - Health care assistance for Afghan refugees in Northwest Frontier
Province, Pakistan
$535,695

IRC - Drought relief in the form of health care and water and sanitation
needs for Afghan refugees in Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
$345,464

IRC - Support to Afghan refugees in Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
through local NGO grants and local NGO capacity building
$509,998

IRC - Basic health and sanitation services for Afghan refugees in 12 camps
in the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
$137,265

IRC - Female education program providing support for primary and secondary
education, teacher training, and community participation for refugees in
the Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
$650,600

MCI - Health care and capacity building for Afghan refugees in Quetta,
Pakistan, with particular focus on refugee women and girls and other
vulnerable persons
$633,392

MCI - Drought relief in the form of health care, nutrition, and water for
Afghan refugees in Baluchistan, Pakistan.
$736,371

SC/US - Primary and reproductive health care and primary education
programs for Afghan refugees in Haripur and Baluchistan, Pakistan.
$1,511,778

SC/UK - support for child-focused local health education materials and
trains partner agencies to develop health education skills among refugee
populations in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
$94,520

Total State/PRM FY 2001	$29,828,659



State/Humanitarian Demining (HDP)

The U.S. Humanitarian Demining Program provides $1.1 million in support of
HALO Trust, a British demining organization, and $1.7 million in financial
and in-kind contributions to the Mine Action Program for Afghanistan.

Total State/HDP FY 2001	$2,800,000




State/INL

U.N. Drug Control Program (UNDCP) - assistance with crop substitution for
former poppy farmers affected by the Taliban poppy ban in Nangarhar.

Total State/INL FY 2001	$1,500,000


Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

UNICEF - support for polio eradication in Afghanistan.

Total CDC FY 2001	$569,525



TOTAL USG Humanitarian Assistance FY 2001/2002	$185,147,625



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