Cablegate: Sarkani Pilot District Visit

VZCZCXRO6979
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #3390/01 2951038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221038Z OCT 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2418
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003390

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR SOCI EAID AF
SUBJECT: Sarkani Pilot District Visit

Ref: A) Kabul 3286
B) Kabul 2940

KABUL 00003390 001.3 OF 002

1. (SBU) Summary: On October 19, Coordinating Director for
Development and Economic Affairs, Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne, and
Commander of the International Assistance Security Force Joint
Command (COMIJC) Lieutenant General David Rodriguez visited the
District Center in Sarkani, Kunar Province, to assess Afghan
government capacity in this pilot District Delivery Working Group
(DDWG) district (Ref A). The dynamic Sarkani District Sub-Governor
and line ministry officials outlined their governance challenges: the
poor connection between the central government in Kabul and the
District; low salaries for district employees; lack of operating
budgets for most government offices; high unemployment and a dearth
of economic opportunities; and the porous Pakistan border, which
undermines security. A separate visit to the women's shura revealed
the sobering challenges faced by the predominantly widowed and
uneducated members: severely circumscribed economic opportunities and
limited voice. Nevertheless, the presence of a dedicated District
Sub-Governor and other officials represent an opportunity for the
DDWG to help Giroux provide needed services in a strategically
important area. End Summary.

2. (SBU) Ambassador Wayne and General Rodriguez were accompanied by
Senior Civilian Representative - Regional Command East (SCR-E) Dawn
Liberi, USAID Mission Director William Frej, visiting SRAP Senior
Provincial Reconstruction Team Advisor Derek Hogan, and other senior
Mission officials. The delegation met with District Sub-Governor
(DSG) Hamish Gulab, Ministry of Mines representatives Noorullah and
Ashquallah Abdul Rahman, and, separately, with Ministry of the
Interior Representative Zar Halim (responsible for National
Registration), Principal Village Elder Representative Khialy Gul, and
Ministry of Agriculture representatives. Liberi and other female
members separately met with the Sarkani District Women's shura.

3. (U) Sarkani is located four kilometers from the mouth of the
Ganjgal Valley, where four U.S. Marines were killed in a complex
attack on September 8. The town lies within a security cordon
provided by a coalition force forward operating base and camps for
both the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan Border Police (ABP).
The District Center was built some years ago with USG funding. Four
of the six DDWG pilot districts are located in RC/E (Sarkani (Kunar),
Khogyiani (Nangahar), Baraki Barak (Logar) and Sayed Abad (Wardak)).

(Low) Salaries Paid, But No Operating Budgets
---------------------------------------------

3. (SBU) Representatives of each of the line ministries visited were
enthusiastic when describing their work, but uniformly said that
although civil servant salaries are paid on time at the end of every
month, their offices receive no operating budgets, and the salaries
are far too low. The DSG said corruption is prevalent "everywhere"
and could only be tackled through increased salaries. The Ministry
of Mines representative (who in resolving land disputes also carries
out a jahQ)Fshuras and jirgas - remain the primary governance system throughout
Sarkani District. To better connect the government to the people,
the DSG convenes once a month a district shura, comprising a
14-member women's shura and 14-member men's shura, to discuss
district governance and development. The DSG said Sarkani has its
full complement of authorized civil servants, but could use a
forestry expert. Several line ministry representatives said their
offices have no direct contact with their parent ministries in Kabul,
but must work through their counterparts in Asadabad, the provincial
capital. With the exception of Agriculture representatives, the line
ministry officers said they had few if any training opportunities.

Challenges: Jobs, Health and Border Security
--------------------------------------------

5. (SBU) The DSG said the district's biggest challenge is high
unemployment and lack of economic opportunity, an uneducated
populace, and an underserved and under-resourced health sector (only
one clinic for 95,000 people, and few medicines or qualified
doctors). Security remains a concern, particularly in capillary
valleys such as Ganjgal, where Afghan government officials cannot go
in their official capacities due to the threat from Taliban elements.
(But teachers and medical staff can travel there, the officials
said.) The DSG and other interlocutor's emphasized better border
control would greatly enhance security, while the district
representative responsible for issuing national identification cards
noted that the presence of ABP and the Pakistan military at several
key crossing points had reduced cross-border intra-tribal contacts.
In a discussion of the September 8 ambush in Ganjgal Valley that

KABUL 00003390 002 OF 002

claimed four coalition force and 12 Afghan NSF lives, the DSG
appealed for locally-hired community policing in Ganjgal. In answer
to a query from LTG Rodriguez as to whether Sarkani residents
understand, in the face of Taliban propaganda, the United States'
commitment to help Afghans win their struggle for a better future, an
Agriculture line representative replied that Sarkani residents see
through the Taliban prevarications, concluding rhetorically "can you
cover the sun with one finger?"

Good Harvest, but Value-Chain Problems
--------------------------------------

6. (SBU) The Agriculture line ministry representatives cited good
harvests this year but noted that frequent flooding in the Kunar
river valley and insufficient irrigation in areas further from the
water harms productivity in Sarkani District. The absence of cold
storage facilities or other value-chain infrastructure reduces the
economic benefits of bountiful harvests. "We don't want to buy flour
from Pakistan," one representative said, noting the farmers are
interested in better seeds and new technology. One representative
said he had received USAID training in Jalalabad in 2007, but
otherwise the Sarkani Agriculture line ministry receives no
international donor support.

Women's Shura: Sobering Realities
---------------------------------

7. (SBU) Separately, SCR-E and other female delegation members
attended the women's shura, along with ten of the 14 shura members.
The shura leader is a teacher. Her husband runs the Sarkani District
school, where she is also an instructor, and together they earn
approximately AFN 4,000 per month (USD 81). The majority of the
shura are widows, impoverished and uneducated. The widows told the
delegation that they seek jobs rather than handouts, noting that if
they got money it would lead to jealousy and demands by others for a
share. They cited seamstress work and agricultural work as
opportunities they would like to pursue. However, they'd prefer to
be given work for payment rather than open their own enterprises.
The shura wants to increase women's education in Sarkani District.
Other issues that concern the members are a lack of medical supplies
and corruption in the District Center. The women alleged that
humanitarian assistance provided through the District Center is
diverted by staff and never distributed to local families in need.

8. (SBU) The women's shura was established informally in 2008 when
the members participated in a sewing project, and continued to meet
as a shura thereafter. The shura convenes infrequently, for specific
purposes, and previously last met in May, 2009. The shura members
said they feel like they do not have much of a role in district
decisions, as they are almost always overshadowed by their male
counterparts. They seemed enthusiastic at the prospect of discussing
and make an impact on women's issues, but did not appear convinced
the men's shura or others would listen to them. (Note: It is not
clear whether the women's shura is entirely welcome in the District
Center. The women claimed they had asked for an office but the DSG
told a female member of the delegation that they had declined his
offer of space in the center, preferring a separate facility. End
Note.)

Comment
-------

9. (SBU) Sarkani district enjoys tenuous security as a result of its
proximity to a coalition force base and Afghan National Security
Force camps, as well as security gains achieved in the Kunar River
valley over the past 18 months. The relatively secure environment,
coupled with an engaged local government, provides an opportunity for
the DDWG pilot district program to enable GIRoA to provide much
needed services in a strategically important area. The DDWG program
will help address the need for a de-centralized operational budget
and salary reform for civil servants to help stem extensive
corruption. The second of six DDWG pilot districts visited, Sarkani
presented a different view from that of Nawa district in Helmand
province (see REF A), but both are prime examples of why local
governance capacity effectively linked to the center is urgently
needed to address the myriad challenges facing Afghanistan. End
Comment.

EIKENBERRY

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