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Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2021 10:58:48 +0000 (UTC)
From: INSO_AFG_DD <deputydirector@afg.ngosafety.org>
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Message-ID: <aXbv4_cUT0azC_83O5mZsw@geopod-ismtpd-1-1>
Subject: INSO REPORT =?UTF-8?B?4oCTIEFGRyDigJM=?= COUTRYWIDE: Change of
 Countrywide NGO Operating Environment
To: Faisal Ahmadzai <faisal.ahmadzai@jack.ngo>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN' 'http://www.w3.org=
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enter><table width=3D"580" style=3D" width: 580px;  border:1px solid #C1C2C=
4; margin: 0 auto; background: #fff; text-align: center; border-collapse: c=
ollapse;" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
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				This report is for the exclusive use of INSO partners and must not be s=
hared outside your organisation			</td>
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									<div><span style=3D"font-size:24.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0=
; padding: 0; font-family:'Arial', sans-serif; color:#5376b6">&nbsp;&nbsp;R=
EPORT</span></div>
									<div><span style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0=
; padding: 0; font-family:'Arial', sans-serif; color:#182748">&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ATTENTION RECOMMENDED</span></div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">LOCATION=
</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								Afghanistan, Countrywide								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INCIDENT=
 TYPE</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								Change of Countrywide NGO Operating Environment								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">DATE & T=
IME</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								16/08/2021 12:00								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INFORMAT=
ION</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">By the evening of 15 August, IE=
A members had entered Kabul, taking control of the government facilities, i=
ncluding the Presidential Palace, that have been earlier vacated by GOA sta=
ff and ANSF personnel. Both the ANSF and the IEA members were instructed no=
t to engage during the takeover of the capital. <br /><br />IEA members ent=
ered Kabul following a swift, two-week-long campaign of capturing provincia=
l capitals, either by force or negotiated handover, with other key cities, =
including Herat, Kandahar, and Mazar-e Sharif coming under the IEA control =
in the past week alone. As of 16 August, the IEA was in control of 33 of th=
e 34 provincial capitals, with the status of the provincial capital of Panj=
shir unconfirmed as of the time of this report; the entirety or the majorit=
y of the remaining territory is under IEA control. Existing pockets of terr=
itory effectively or formally under GOA control are unlikely to remain for =
a much longer period, now that the IEA controls the capital.<br /><br />Wit=
h the exception of Kabul&mdash;where IEA control was only established yeste=
rday&mdash;the IEA has initiated administrative, security, political, and c=
ivil reforms in the provincial capitals, ranging from setting up rules and =
regulations regarding civilian clothes and behaviour to establishing law en=
forcement elements, to setting up the general governance architecture. Thes=
e measures also included outreach to NGOs, both bilateral and collective.<b=
r /><br />In regard to the security situation, cities overtaken by the IEA =
saw a complete halt of conflict activity; however, some increase in crimina=
lity (likely temporary) has been observed, with criminal elements exploitin=
g the uncertainty of the collapse of the previous government.</div>								=
</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ANALYSIS=
</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The IEA taking over Kabul effec=
tively finalised their recent advances throughout Afghanistan, even though =
armed resistance&mdash;both from ANSF and armed civilians&mdash;to full con=
solidation of IEA control can be expected for a brief period in some areas =
in the East and Southeast of the country.<br /><br />While unlikely to be r=
ecognised by the international community in the near term, the IEA is to al=
l intents and purposes now the new government. <br /><br />Concerns have be=
en raised by the humanitarian community and the general population alike ab=
out their security under the new government; however, both the situation on=
 the ground and the key messaging from the IEA suggest that the situation m=
ay be less dramatic than portrayed by the international media or foreign go=
vernments. In regard to NGOs specifically, in the past week, there have bee=
n a series of positive engagements between NGOs and the IEA authorities acr=
oss the country. IEA members have visited NGO and IO compounds in Kunduz, H=
erat, Kandahar, Mazar-e Sharif, and other cities and caused no harm to or t=
hreatened staff. In several cases, however, NGO property has been temporari=
ly appropriated by IEA members, including vehicles or buildings. While some=
 reports have surfaced of the extreme treatment of civilians under IEA just=
ice systems, there have been no examples of the IEA targeting humanitarians=
, regardless of the organisational profile, nationality of staff, or the em=
ployment of female staff members. As of the time of writing, however, the I=
EA have indicated that their current intent is not to allow the employment =
of female staff in the future. <br /><br />On 16 August, IEA representative=
s from the Provincial NGOs and Private Companies Commission and from the IE=
A Western Regional Command held a meeting with several NGOs, IOs, and priva=
te telecommunications companies in Herat City. During the meeting, the IEA =
officials formally announced that the NGOs and IOs are allowed to resume th=
eir normal activities, both in terms of field projects and routine office w=
ork. They have shared a list of contacts to report any malicious activity t=
owards humanitarians and urged NGOs and IOs to advocate before the donors a=
nd the International Community for an increase in humanitarian aid to Afgha=
nistan. IEA officials put forward several administrative requests, asking N=
GOs to communicate their travel plans when travelling to a project area out=
side of provincial capitals, to submit a proposal for formal approval befor=
e opening a new project, and to register through a simple procedure with a =
relevant IEA official. Female employment remains among the major obstacles =
to NGO operations at this stage. While the IEA officials present at the mee=
ting suggested that the unconditional denial of female presence at NGO offi=
ces or project sites may be reviewed within weeks or months, the decision a=
lmost certainly has to be made at the top IEA leadership level and will the=
n be imposed on&mdash;and likely complied with&mdash;by the provincial auth=
orities.<br /><br />While the IEA spokesmen present at the above meeting re=
peatedly assured that these measures are designed for maintaining their sit=
uational awareness and facilitating NGO safety, security, and access to pro=
ject areas, the messaging was likely heavily influenced by the fact that th=
e IEA found themselves overwhelmed with the volume of administrative work i=
n large population centres and were seeking to present their general vision=
 rather than immediately impose specific rules and regulations on NGOs. The=
 messaging also appears to align with the IEA strategy of gaining internati=
onal legitimacy and attracting humanitarian and development assistance. The=
refore, despite the positive and reassuring messaging, more stringent regul=
ations may be expected as the IEA consolidates control and further elaborat=
es local governance.</div>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ADVICE</=
div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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<p>NGOs are advised to prioritise the safety of their staff over the resump=
tion of normal activities according to the situation on the ground and/or a=
ny restrictions imposed or guarantees provided by the IEA.</p>
<p>If resuming normal activities, NGOs are further advised to engage with I=
EA and adjust their working modalities to comply with the IEA rules and reg=
ulations, especially if those were communicated bilaterally or through form=
al announcements. This includes, but is not limited to, access to specific =
areas or beneficiary groups, employment of female staff, movement, and regi=
stration. Female staff members are advised to work from home for the time b=
eing, until such time as it becomes clearer whether or not the IEA intends =
to review its current position on employing female staff.</p>
INSO will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates by email if=
 necessary.</div>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ISSUED B=
Y</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<p>Deputy Director, Serhii Obidenko</p>
<p><a href=3D"mailto:deputydirector@afg.ngosafety.org">deputydirector@afg.n=
gosafety.org</a></p>								</div>
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lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INSO SER=
IAL #</div>
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								AFGHANISTAN/COUNTRY/R/16082021/#001								</div>
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76b6; padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; height:63px; font-size:7.5pt; font-family:'A=
rial', sans-serif; color:white; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;=
">
				INSO exists to provide dedicated security services to the NGO community=
. As a free service, INSO and its donors or partners, accept no liability w=
hatsoever for claims as may result from the provision or utilisation of the=
se free services. Whilst every effort is made to the verify data, INSO cann=
ot guarantee the accuracy of information provided. Reproduction of INSO inf=
ormation is prohibited.									<br>
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