RASC News Agency: Local sources in Bamyan Province indicate that the “ACTED” institute has orchestrated 128 livelihood projects in the districts of Sayghan and Shibar, where most local authorities are affiliated with the Taliban, over the past six months. According to insiders, 36 projects in Sayghan and another 90 in Shibar have been overseen by this organization. Certain residents of Bamyan have condemned the local Taliban’s interference in the activities of relief organizations, as well as the extortion and levies imposed by these entities on local Taliban authorities.
They further assert that apart from the “ACTED” institute, other relief organizations also extend assistance to Taliban-dominated areas, including the Development of Villages. Under the leadership of Mawlawi Ziaullah Khadem, the head of the Development of Villages in Bamyan, and Mawlawi Abdul Rawoof, the deputy intelligence chief for the Taliban in the province, numerous development, infrastructure, and livelihood projects have been earmarked for Bamyan. It is also alleged that some Taliban officials, originating from neighboring provinces to Bamyan, divert the resources intended for Bamyan’s needy to support their own regions.
Institutions such as “Islamic Relief,” “Vista,” and “ACTED” face accusations from Bamyan residents of engaging in extortion and bribery with local Taliban authorities in Bamyan Province. Bamyan stands among the provinces where a majority of its populace resides below the poverty line, with statistics indicating a poverty rate exceeding 98%, the highest in society. Previous reports from Bamyan Province concerning the exploitation of humanitarian aid by local Taliban authorities have circulated in various parts of the province.
Furthermore, in several other provinces across the country, civil and livelihood projects have been directed to favored areas by Taliban members, with most individuals targeted by this group receiving aid. Although some members have been apprehended for embezzlement, Taliban authorities have refuted these accusations, asserting that they allocate aid to the deserving. Nevertheless, certain citizens perceive the deserving individuals as those chosen at the discretion of the Taliban, leaving the truly needy in precarious circumstances.
