Afghanistan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (May 2024)

Key Highlights

Humanitarian partners continue to observe increased humanitarian access constraints impacting the operational environment, with some 113 humanitarian access incidents reported in May 2024. The incidents in this reporting period have shown a 16 per cent decrease from the same time last year and a 32 per cent decrease compared to the previous month in 2024, mostly in the Eastern, Southern, and Western regions, consecutively. Furthermore, the incidents in May resulted in the temporary suspension of 69 programs and the relocation of one program to another location.

The majority of reported incidents fell under one of the following categories: ‘Interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities’, followed by ‘Physical environment’ and ‘Violence against humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities’, respectively.

Interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities remained the main driver of access impediments in 2024, with 64 access incidents related to interferences by De facto Authorities (DfAs) reported in May. This included 26 incidents directly affecting program implementation, 20 incidents requesting sensitive staff information, 10 incidents restricting women humanitarian workers' participation, four incidents of occupation of facilities or assets, two incidents attempting to interfere with beneficiary selection, one incident involving requests for illegal taxation, one case disrupting staff recruitment. In May, humanitarian partners reported increased challenges related to the Ministry/Directorates of Public Health's audit of NGOs in at least four provinces. OCHA has been engaging with DfAs at national and subnational levels to address the challenge.

In March, 10 directives were issued nationally and across various regions, including the Southern, Northern, Northeastern, and Central Highlands regions. These directives have had a direct impact on the humanitarian response in Afghanistan. In May, the third edition of the “DfA Procedure on Coordination and Regulation of NGOs” was issued, and the involvement of Ulema Shura in the project proposals review was included in this version. The majority of these directives were issued to reinforce the existing procedures. The authorities responsible for issuing these directives include the Ministry/Directorate of Economy (four directives), the Directorate of Public Health (two directives), the General Department of Intelligence (two directives), the Directorate of Monitoring and Supervision of Decrees and Orders (one directive), and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (one directive).

In May, the humanitarian response was significantly hindered by flash floods, which delayed or halted the movement of humanitarian personnel attempting to reach the affected populations. This disruption led to the temporary suspension of 39 humanitarian projects for at least two weeks due to road closures. The floods, impacting 15 provinces, closed the roads connecting districts to the centers of 11 provinces, thus severely disrupting aid delivery and increasing the urgency for emergency assistance. Between 1 and 28 May, flash floods affected 79,149 people, resulting in 261 deaths, 333 injuries, damage to 5,389 houses, and the destruction of 3,597 houses.

Furthermore, there were five incidents of violence targeting humanitarian personnel, assets, and facilities. These incidents led to the detention of five humanitarian workers, including two female staff members, a physical attack that injured one humanitarian worker, and one incident involving threats against workers. Humanitarian partners continue to operate in a volatile environment, often risking their safety and security; tragically, the explosion of an abandoned Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killed one humanitarian worker and injured one in Uruzgan province.

The ban on female humanitarian workers and its enforcement on NGOs and the UN persistently pose challenges to aid delivery, particularly impacting the ability to reach women and children beneficiaries. In May, 18 per cent of reported incidents by partners were gender-motivated. Despite these challenges, humanitarian partners ensured female participation in the response to flash flood-affected areas by employing different practices, such as female staff traveling directly to the field accompanied by a mahram (male guardian).