Engaging Community Resilience for Change in Andar District, Afghanistan

The following article shows how different communities use their energy to create an enabling environment for peace and development. However, some communities have the same context. By: Hotak

‘Comparing two insecure districts in Afghanistan, where research shows how each community engaged their resiliencies based on the existing context’……..

http://learn.future.edu/course/view.php?id=17

However both Khogyani and Andar districts have been insecure for the last few years, their underlying causes were not the same.  Community resilience in both districts is engaged differently on account of various strategies they use. Research study in Khogyani district described the district different than Andar as poppy in Khogyani District is cultivated in most villages and its land is mountainous which both make the area insecure. Moreover, the district is bordering Pakistan and many armed groups cross the district as entry point in to the country still there are schools and health facilities for community to use. Role of people in local governance and security is good, whereas Andar is characterized differently. Andar district is plainer, but poppy cultivation is not common. . It is not bordering any foreign country, but is counted as a backward district as does not have schools and clinic facilities. On the other hand what makes this district unique is its ‘Community uprising against Taliban’s presence in the area, 20 March 2012’ that was launched by community and as a result more villages became free from Taliban’s hands.

The Movement  

The lessons that community learned from the long term presence of insurgency made their people to be so careful in encountering Taliban’s concerning matters. Local governance gradually improved and got strengthened. On the other side, Taliban learned as well that this community is eventually turning against them as people of the community ignore their command or order when they notify community. It appeared that security situation and relation between the two sides; Taliban and the community got tough. Each tried to find way how to manipulate other side. Situation gradually got tense. Chiefs and tribal elders including local council members in Andar also sensed this condition.

Taliban’s tactic was to put pressure on community, forcing them to join their ranks, leave government support. They increased their presence to show community their power. Old and young of the area who ignored Taliban’s order have been beaten up, taken away and even killed them on the spot. See the link below as an example. (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.242639975870484.63295.134637236670759&type=1#!/media/set/?set=a.242639975870484.63295.134637236670759&type=3)

As part of community, the question raised was what strategy could these people adapt to bargain with Taliban over some issues to minimize their threat and pressure on the life of community; materially and spiritually?

To get rid of such situation for the Andar community there was only one way to choose and that was to support National Solidarity Program (NSP) and encourage organization (Future Generations Afghanistan/FGA) to take facilitation of the program in the district so that they can do something. So negotiations began between community and FGA in Kabul and Ghazni. Though, Taliban’s control over this vast area was strong, yet people valued their council’s decisions and the NSP program operation.   This gave community a sense of confidence to listen to their own village chiefs than anyone else. As a result of community engagement NSP program started. Taking such position, sometimes, led these people to disobey Taliban’s order and result to Taliban and community’s anger “Be arrested or Flee from the area”.  

Of all other villages, Pa-en-day, Mekheil and Abdul Kheil were the three villages that their communities heard much of these voices. Most individuals and families have been physically and verbally threatened and made discouraged not to take any step that harm Taliban’s movements in and around their villages.

The pressure made Andar community impatient. Therefore, decided to engage their resiliencies   and began uprising against Taliban. The movement first started from Abdul Rahim village ( 20 March 2012). After this happened, it moved toward Khairo Wall village on the same date and from there the movement spread over to many other villages. Though, the uprising had some human and assets’ loss, it covered 22-23 main villages in the area, which were set free from Taliban’s hands.

Local governance

Study in potential positive deviant (PD) communities in Andar indicates that some residents in these villages have developed locally grown governance, however, it might have been existed in the past, but the deviant motive here is the action or step they take to resolve their problem the community encounter. Generally, under Taliban’s control villages step taken by community or individual is considered sin, which requires punishment.

On such occasions if such move is taken and is not punished it is a sign of a typical community institution developed by community traditionally that has authority to act and resolve their problems with available resources. This typical local governance is now being maintained and practiced. This has either been inherited from their forefathers as their traditionally maintained practices or their present strong and influential leadership that have brought such order through which they resolve their problems and conflicts. Such leadership divides community, in general, in to the following three categories.

Communities’ division and the local governance

Communities under government control: Local institution is created in the presence of government power, ISAF, Militia (Arbaki) forces in or around the community. In such local institution more power holders’ rules and regulations are considered to be respected. People are mostly organized by local government organs and establish link with government. So, community takes advantages of the presence of such forces and structures their local governance through which they resolve all their problems and conflicts. These villages are more secure and government law is respected by residents.

Communities governed by local people: Community having strong locally initiated leadership (governance) has developed community-support peaceful conditions in villages without outside assistance, however communication takes place with outside sources, sometimes. People resolve problems by themselves under their indigenous and egalitarian local governance and have maintained relative peace and development. Such type local institution preserves local interests and passion. On most occasions it is observed successful. It is not important if it is in area under government or Taliban control. There are few villages, where there people themselves have created and maintained local governance that have compromised with both sides; the government and the Taliban. This initiation is based on their bitter past or present experience (present good local leadership) that thy have had about social and armed conflicts within community or outsiders. In such community local leadership has agreed on a non-interference protocol with Taliban. In light of this agreement neither government nor Taliban’s forces interrupt peaceful atmosphere of the community.

Communities under Taliban control: Local governance created in the presence of and by the power of armed men or Taliban. Such type of local institution conserves more Taliban’s rules and regulations, supported usually by the community fearing from armed men. It has happened that when any sides; government or Taliban has felt that they are in a position to bring the community under direct control they attack and influence either their leadership or vanish it. Let me bring you an example of Payenday, MeiKheil in Andar District.

For the past few years community and Taliban had agreed to leave each other unharmed. This worked, but later when Taliban felt they are in position to influence local governance (orders them not to take ID cards…or ask for developmental projects….) they put community under pressure and forced people to accept their order.

Moving forward to development

Formation of CDCs after NSP resumption: After ‘Movement’ community efforts towards developmental work increased and more Community Development Councils were formed by community to look after their development, however efforts at lower level in government control areas existed. The following table shows when and how development councils of each village were established when FGA restarted its program in Andar District. Looking at the table below we see that the first CDC was formed by Salihan villagers on 1 January 2012, showing community efforts even before the movement. This indicates that community under traditional leadership exercised the idea of development.

In line to NSP this happened after several meetings held with NSP Provincial Monitoring Unit, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, community council and the FGA staff in Ghazni. However the village was not fully secure then, but the community leader ship initiated to mobilize their people and encourage them to begin Community Development Council’s (CDC) formation. This idea worked and later more villages started CDCs.

As an example Payaa village (under Taliban control) formed its CDC on 10 January, 2012. Khanan Kohna also started CDC formation, which was under government control on the same date. Finally, many more villages formed their CDCs that took care of project start. See the table below that shows CDCs’ establishment by dates. 

Projects’ start by community development councils

Developmental work in Andar, primarily, started in MeeKheil and Abdul Kheil villages (13-10-2012), which have been under Taliban control. Important point with  this start is that people of the villages come from the same Sulaiman Kheil tribe who are more clever people and did not afraid of Taliban. By 16 October 2012 Konsef village started NSP project. This was also under Taliban control, but later on became under government/Arbaki’s control. After this, Chamri of Bandi Sardei started developmental projects’ construction. Of 40 CDCs in Andar 23 are under government control, where NSP projects’ work continues. In addition to government control villages projects started in under Taliban control areas as well.