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