A new report by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has accused the Taliban of systematically blocking humanitarian aid from reaching Tajik and Hazara communities, while redirecting assistance to areas predominantly populated by Pashtuns.
According to SIGAR, the Taliban is pressuring the United Nations and NGOs to dismiss Hazara staff members and to award contracts exclusively to companies affiliated with the group. A former senior official from the previous Afghan government confirmed that aid is largely distributed in regions favored by Taliban rulers, bypassing the northern and central provinces where many Tajik and Hazara families remain in dire need.
Interviewees told SIGAR that no assistance had reached neighborhoods like Khair Khana in Kabul, a predominantly Tajik district. In contrast, areas known to support the Taliban reportedly received such an abundance of aid that some recipients sold surplus supplies for profit.
“Ethnic discrimination is embedded in the structure of food distribution,” one source stated, adding that most staff members of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan are Pashtuns. The head of the Hazara World Council informed SIGAR that Hazara employees were dismissed from the programme after the Taliban’s return to power and replaced by Pashtuns. He noted that only a meager amount of aid has reached Hazara families in Kabul.
Several interviewees described instances where spoiled or contaminated food was deliberately distributed to ethnic minorities. One respondent said that flour sent to Hazara areas was “infested with worms and insects—unfit even for animal consumption.”
The Bamiyan Foundation, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., reported that when food shipments were dispatched to Hazara regions, the Taliban facilitated travel for Pashtuns to enter those areas and claim the aid. In Daikundi province, the group alleges, aid from the Afghan Red Crescent was predominantly given to Taliban officials in Nili and Pashtun families relocated from other provinces.
Discrimination in NGO Registration and Operations
Discrimination extends beyond aid distribution. A U.S. State Department official told SIGAR that in late 2022, the Taliban revoked licenses for four NGOs led by Tajiks, forcing them to halt operations. One organization insider confirmed the shutdowns were explicitly due to their Tajik leadership.
Another NGO official reported that the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health blocked a donor-funded project in Panjshir and Takhar provinces, claiming the initiative was unnecessary. Instead, the Taliban diverted assistance to southern and southeastern regions—primarily Pashtun strongholds.
A former senior Afghan official told SIGAR that the UN favors logistics companies with ties to the Taliban. Some of the UN’s partner organizations allegedly maintain direct links to the group.
According to the report, the Taliban employs every possible means, including coercion, to ensure aid flows according to its agenda rather than donor intent. Whereas the previous government prioritized urban areas to shield against insurgency, the Taliban has shifted focus to rural strongholds.
The U.S. Institute of Peace noted in a separate 2023 report that the Taliban increasingly treats humanitarian aid as another source of income.
SIGAR warned that NGOs refusing to hire Taliban-linked personnel or partner with Taliban-affiliated firms risk losing licenses and having their bank accounts frozen. The group also exploits its oversight role to extort bribes and manipulate aid operations.
“Taliban officials pressure the UN and NGOs to hand over contracts to Taliban-connected companies, collaborate with Taliban-aligned groups, and place aid agencies under de facto control—enabling aid diversion and censoring reporting,” SIGAR stated.
