United Nations aid officials said Taliban-imposed restrictions temporarily halted 18 humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan in July, warning that the impact of access constraints remained widespread and concerning despite a 50% drop in reported incidents from the previous month.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded 30 access-related incidents or restrictions in July, down from 60 in June. The agency said the decline did not necessarily indicate an improvement in conditions, as the consequences of the restrictions continued to disrupt humanitarian operations.
Of the 30 incidents, 18 resulted in the temporary suspension of programmes and two led to the closure of aid facilities. By the end of July, 11 cases had been resolved, while 19 remained unresolved.
Taliban interference remains a major obstacle
OCHA recorded 16 cases of Taliban interference in humanitarian activities. These included delays in signing agreements, intervention in the selection of aid recipients, interference in programme implementation and requests for staff lists or sensitive information.
The restrictions directly affected operations in Balkh, Faryab, Jawzjan and Kandahar provinces. In some cases, discussions with Taliban officials were still ongoing.
Gender restrictions limit women’s participation
Gender-related restrictions remained one of the main obstacles to humanitarian work, OCHA said.
The agency recorded 11 such incidents in July, including restrictions on women aid workers’ participation, requirements for female staff to be accompanied by a male mahram, enforcement of dress regulations and restrictions on women’s recruitment.
In Uruzgan province, a permit previously issued for women to participate in data collection was revoked just before activities were due to begin. Uruzgan was the only province where such a permit was withdrawn at the last minute.
OCHA warned that the restrictions significantly reduced aid agencies’ ability to reach women and girls in need.
Aid workers detained
OCHA recorded 12 incidents involving violence against aid workers and humanitarian facilities in July, including detentions, physical confrontations, threats and enforcement of dress regulations.
In one incident in Herat, a construction supervisor, a security guard and five workers were detained during a temporary suspension of construction work. Most were later released, but the construction supervisor remained in custody until July 28.
In a separate incident, two humanitarian workers were detained in Herat, raising further concerns about the safety of aid personnel.
No aid worker was killed, injured or abducted in July, OCHA said. However, 12 aid workers were detained, with most cases occurring in the south and west of the country.
South and west record most incidents
Southern Afghanistan recorded the highest number of access-related incidents in July, with nine, followed by the west with eight. The east recorded four, the north three, and the central, central highland and northeastern regions two each.
At the provincial level, Herat had the highest number of incidents, with eight, followed by Kandahar and Nangarhar with four each. Kabul recorded two, while Balkh, Baghlan, Bamyan, Daykundi, Faryab, Jawzjan, Kunduz and Uruzgan each recorded one.
Nimroz also recorded four incidents. Gender-related restrictions were reported mainly in Herat, Nimroz, Kabul, Nangarhar and Uruzgan.
