Final evaluation Netherlands participation in ISAF 2006 - 2010

in the area of security. There was therefore no unity of effort regarding thisissue. As a consequence, the Netherlands was not able to find a consistentand definitive solution for the complex problem of dealing with this type ofinformal leader.Sub-conclusions on power brokersDutch policy towards certain power brokers resulted in gaining theconfidence of previously marginalised tribes. However, the adopted policydid not lead to curbing the power and influence of these power brokers;even without a formal power base and without contact with the Dutchmilitary in the area, they continued to play a significant role during thecourse of the Dutch mission. The lack of international agreements on howto deal with informal leaders resulted in the Dutch policy in this area havinglittle effect.4.4.4 Representation and tribal balanceUruzgan has a complex tribal power structure. Tribal leaders have longplayed an important role in society in the province and there is little scopefor other forms of governance, although the situation is graduallyimproving. As mentioned above, the Popolzai tribe, with its former leadersJan Mohammed Khan and Matiullah Khan, is very dominant in the province,even though this tribe is a minority of the population. Right from the start,the Dutch devoted considerable attention to the distorted tribalrelationships. The great majority of the tribes in Uruzgan had no share inthe power and consequently had no access to the – limited – publicservices. Achieving a better reflection of the tribal relationships ingovernment posts was a first priority. Dutch policy was aimed at – wherepossible – making a contribution to a structural improvement in theserelationships, both in formal and informal governance.Up until May 2007, the Afghan government allotted only very little centralfunding to improving governance in Uruzgan. In response to these problemsand at the request of local administrators, the Netherlands, via its embassy,used its influence to bring about the reinstatement of the operational fundsfor the provincial governors, which had been stopped in 2006. These fundspay for, among other things, tribal representation activities andreconciliation programmes. The Netherlands has contributed financially tothese funds via the ARTF.In order to counterbalance the informal power structures of Popolzaipowerbrokers and the distorted tribal relations, the Netherlands gaveconsiderable support to tribal leaders of less influential tribes. These tribesare the Ghilzai, particularly in the Mirabad region, the Deh Rafshan areaand Deh Rawod, and the Barakzai and Achekzai tribes in the district ofChora. The cultural advisers played an important role in maintainingcontacts with the leaders and collecting information.An important step in improving the tribal balance was the tribal dialogue.The Netherlands contributed greatly to this by encouraging meetingsbetween the leaders of various tribes and the local administration in allthree of the population centres, and also by providing the necessaryfacilities. Many conflicts in Uruzgan had nothing to do with the Taliban, butarose from conflicts about land and water or dated back to the old ethnicconflicts. By helping the Afghan government to carry out developmentprojects, the Netherlands tried to encourage the population of Uruzgan tobe more open to the formal Afghan authorities. At the start of the mission,the PRT’s contacts with the tribal leaders were mainly aimed at security andbuilding up the (auxiliary) police and police stations. In addition, via thePage 56 of 133