PART II—LOGISTICAL DIFFICULTIES
Humanitarian aid agencies with programmes in
Afghanistan are currently experiencing severe operational constraints.
Accessibility due to security concerns and weather conditions,
combined with bureaucratic delays are the primary issues reported
by agencies.
Security concerns
— Small pockets of Taliban causing
uncertainty and tensions in some areas.
— Plunder of office equipment and furniture.
— Vehicles at risk of being taken by
armed groups.
— Smaller quantities of food have to
be delivered at a time to minimise risk of very large amounts
being stolen en route.
— Security in certain areas is poor,
variable and unpredictable thus constraining programmes' activities.
There are significant variations on a day to day basis and from
region to region making it difficult to assess the overall threat.
Accessibility problems
— Delays in the issue of visas to Pakistan
of up to three months despite all necessary supporting documentation
being supplied with applications.
— Delays of up to three months in obtaining
registration to allow travel by barge from Termez, Uzbekistan
to Hairaton, Afghanistan.
— The only road across the Termez/Hairaton
border remains blocked following the closure of the bridge by
the Uzbek Government in 1998.
— An issue of particular concern is
that it is currently too dangerous for expatriates to travel by
road within Afghanistan yet UN flights to Kabul are prohibitively
expensive. Thus, although there are approximately 17 international
UN staff, together with seven with ICRC and one from DFID, there
are no NGO staff in the capital.
— Security on the road routes is too
poor at present to allow travel by this means. It is particularly
bad on the route to Kabul from Pakistan.
— Difficulties and delays in obtaining
Iranian visas.
— Winter snows have blocked some roads
to vehicles in the more mountainous regions. This will significantly
worsen as the winter progresses.
— Border restrictions are slowing up
deliveries.
— Some regions are too unsafe to allow
staff to return.
British Agencies Afghanistan Group (BAAG)
30 November 2001
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