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Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:05:51 +0000 (UTC)
From: INSO_AFG_NORTHEAST_SA <sa.northeast@afg.ngosafety.org>
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Message-ID: <sjj1IKmFTmW20I66PucHtQ@geopod-ismtpd-4-2>
Subject: INSO REPORT =?UTF-8?B?4oCTIEFGRyDigJM=?= TAKHAR: Disputes Between
 Returnees and Displaced Populations Pose Risk of Collateral Impact for NGOs
To: Mohammad Zahid Ibrahimi <zahid.ibrahimi@jack.ngo>

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				This report is for the exclusive use of INSO partners and must not be s=
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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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								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">LOCATION=
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2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
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								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">Afghanistan, Takhar Province, K=
hwajabahawuddin District</div>								</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;">
								Disputes Between Returnees and Displaced Populations Pose Risk of C=
ollateral Impact for NGO								</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;">
								12/10/2022 11:00								</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;">In September and October multip=
le land disputes escalated into violence in Khwajabahawuddin District follo=
wing the return of some 500 Kuchi families from Pakistan and the Southeaste=
rn Region who claimed ownership of land in several areas.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">On 13 September, a physical altercation=
 erupted between members of the Uzbek and &nbsp;Pashtun Kuchi communities a=
nd escalated into a firefight on a secondary road in the Shor Toghi area of=
 Khwajabahawuddin District. During the incident, four individuals were woun=
ded.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">On 15 September, a second fight took pl=
ace between members of the Uzbek and Pashtun Kuchi communities, who assault=
ed each other with blunt weapons on a secondary road in &nbsp;Gulbahar Vill=
age of Khwajabahawuddin District. During the incident, three men and a woma=
n were wounded.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">On 17 September, representatives of the=
 Uzbek and Kuchi Pashtun communities addressed Qari Mohammad Esmail Rasikh,=
 the Provincial Governor of Takhar, to find a long-term solution to the sit=
uation. The governor created a committee including the deputy governor, the=
 provincial chief of police, one representative of the department responsib=
le for border control, and representatives of the conflicting parties. The =
committee initially decided that returnees should refrain from evicting mor=
e of the current residents &nbsp;until the committee verifies the ownership=
 documents the returnees presented. Later, at the beginning of October, the=
 committee finalised their inquiry with regards to the returnees&rsquo; cla=
im over lands in Mojaher Qushlaq and decided in their favour.<br /><br /></=
div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">Following the committee&rsquo;s decisio=
n, on 03 and 05 October, Kochi tribe members, with the support of IEA force=
s, forcibly displaced Uzbek and Tajik residents from Gulbahar and Mohajer Q=
ushlaq.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">On 06 October, IEA forces and members o=
f the Kuchi community forcibly displaced 20 families of Uzbek and Tajik res=
idents of Mohajer Qushlaq Village after demanding them to leave their homes=
. Several days later, on 12 October, IEA forces forcibly displaced a furthe=
r 50 Uzbek and Tajik families from the same village.</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;">Further disputes between Pashtu=
n, Uzbek, and Tajik residents are likely in the coming weeks due to multipl=
e disputes over land sparked by the return of the Kuchi families. These dis=
putes may degenerate into violence, with 11 civilians killed in land disput=
es and 23 wounded in the Northeastern Region since August 2021. Tensions be=
gan accumulating during the last week of August, when a convoy of Pashtun K=
uchis arrived in the abovementioned district from Pakistan and several fami=
lies of Uzbek residents were told to leave their homes because they belonge=
d to the Kuchis. Furthermore, on 11 September, &nbsp;IEA security forces fo=
rcibly displaced Uzbek residents from Lala Gozar Village of Khwajabahawuddi=
n District in favour of the returning Kuchis. Since then, three physical al=
tercations over land rights took place between the Uzbek and Pashtun during=
 the month of September, one of them escalating into a firefight. Following=
 these incidents, at least nine residents were wounded. The pressure on Uzb=
ek residents of Khwajabahawuddin increased during the first two weeks of Oc=
tober, when members of the Kuchi tribe supported by the IEA forces forcibly=
 evicted 83 families from Gulbahar and Mojaher Qushlaq. This is likely to l=
ead to additional hostilities between the Pashtun and the Uzbek in the comi=
ng weeks.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">The eviction of Uzbeks might also creat=
e tensions between the residents of Khwajabahawuddin District and the IEA s=
ecurity forces should the provincial IEA authorities continue to support th=
e members of the Kuchi in evicting the local population. The IEA authoritie=
s have twice intervened to support Kuchi&rsquo;s claim in evicting the loca=
l population and this is perceived by residents as motivated by favouritism=
 due to their ethnicity. Perceptions of unfairness and discrimination have =
also been driven by IEA appointments of Pashtun commanders over Tajik comma=
nders in areas dominated by Tajik residents. Should the IEA authorities sup=
port additional Pashtun claims over land and buildings, justified or not, t=
his could impact local acceptance, deepen existing tensions between IEA gro=
ups, and serve as propaganda material for OAGs, looking to capitalize and o=
btain additional support and recruits among the disgruntled residents.<br /=
><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">Hostilities between returnees and the p=
opulations being evicted could pose a risk to NGOs operating in or transiti=
ng Khwajabahawuddin District. Firstly, with no support from the IEA authori=
ties, and given the wide availability of firearms, Uzbek residents evicted =
from their houses and lands can be expected to attempt to push back against=
 the Pashtun newcomers through violence. Similar incidents took place after=
 Pashtun returnees evicted local residents from Lala Gozar and Katak Jar Vi=
llages by force on 06 July 2018, and followers of the PGM commander Malik T=
atar attacked the returnees. Given the unpredictable nature of such inciden=
ts, armed violence between the two conflicting parties could pose a risk to=
 civilians in general and NGOs implementing programs whose beneficiaries ar=
e members of the returnees community in particular.</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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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGO staff members are not presu=
med to be under significant threat from the warring parties at this time. H=
owever, NGOs should consider the risk of being perceived as biased by imple=
menting projects for beneficiaries of either group, especially if returnees=
.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGOs are advised to consider avenues fo=
r mediation should the IEA authorities pressure their staff to implement pr=
ojects to the benefit of either of the conflicting parties.<br /><br /></di=
v>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGO staff are advised to minimise the e=
xtent of time spent in areas or on properties subjected to land disputes to=
 limit their exposure to collateral risk.<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGOs are further advised to consider th=
e risk posed by potential escalations of force and firefights among the IEA=
 members, should the rank-and-file members decide to take sides in the exis=
ting disputes. <br /><br />NGOs in Northeastern Region are advised to maint=
ain previously established security protocols when travelling to Khwajabaha=
wuddin District. <br /><br />NGO staff are reminded that in the event of an=
 armed attack, the following actions are recommended: remain indoors if in =
a building and move to a hardened room, if available; stay away from window=
s and remain indoors until the area is cleared by NGO safety and security p=
ersonnel.</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%;  ">
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ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">SA Northeast, Eliade Al-Hamdoun=
i<br /><br /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;"><a href=3D"mailto:sa.northeast@afg.ngos=
afety.org">sa.northeast@afg.ngosafety.org</a></div>								</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/NORTHEAST/R/18102022/#001								</div>
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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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