Turkménistan

Histoires vécues

Tales of a convoy from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan

© UNICEF

"Organizing a convoy is perhaps one of the most frustrating duties of a logistician," says Maurice O'Neill, a Logistics Officer of UNICEF Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan has emerged as an important route for the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Afghanistan. It was the first country in Central Asia to open its border for humanitarian convoys into Afghanistan.

O'Neill has organized six aid convoys for Afghanistan since he arrived in Turkmenistan in late September. The convoys are dispatched from the eastern city of Turkmenabat where UNICEF has set up an office to help its humanitarian operations in western and northern Afghanistan. "It all starts in the office calculating how many and what type of trucks you need. Are the roads gravel or metal? This has serious impact on gross load weights and tyres. Are there any toll bridges or road restrictions such as mountain passes on the route? How long will it take? Will it be necessary to cross-land onto different trucks at border crossings or to smaller trucks as the road disintegrates into a rutted pass?"

A couple of days ago, Maurice organized a six -truck convoy to Herat in western Afghanistan. The convoy carried winter blankets, high-energy biscuits, recreation kits containing different types of sports equipment and emergency health kits containing essential medical supplies and drugs. It took more than a day to load the supplies onto six trucks and the services of three truck companies. The truck company that O'Neill regularly uses was servicing other UN agencies at that time.

"Each convoy requires separate negotiation with the transporter. The real nightmare of a logistician - transporters reacting excessively to market demands," he laments. To the drivers of the convoy, this is just another job however. They have been plying the 749-kilometer Turkmenabad-Mary-Gushgi-Turghundi-Herat route for years. The journey normally takes two days, barring engine breakdowns, fuel shortages, and sickness.

Abdil Muner, a native of Pakistan, has been driving this route for the last three years. Barely five feet tall, 23-year-old Abdil is head of the convoy. He makes up the schedule and ensures that everything runs like clockwork: when to leave the garage, when to eat lunch, take a tea break or have dinner, when to stop for prayers and checkpoints. During breaks, Abdil even initiates conversations with the other members of his team.

The other members of the convoy are old enough to be Abdil's father. Abdullah Al'il and Mohammad Nizar, both in their 50s, have been driving this route for half a decade. Natives of Afghanistan, Abdullah, a father of six, is from Banyan. Mohammad, who has seven children, is from Kabul. Although they're happy that their families have not been hit by the bombings, they are keenly aware of hardships. They wish they could retire and spend more time with their families but given the current situation in Afghanistan, their clear choice is a life on the road. "We make $50 per trip. It is a good amount of money for our family." The truck company they work for rents the flat in Kabul where they can stop over before they return to their families.

For Imam Muddin, 33, life has not been easy either. He has been driving for five years while his three young children keep his wife busy the whole day. Imam's family lives in the town of Mazar-I-Sharif where just a couple of weeks ago, a ten-truck convoy of UNICEF was looted and two of its drivers were killed. Imam, however, believes his prayers protect him and his family from any danger. Mohammad Nazom, 36, is a father of five. His family lives in Andkhoy. Like Imam, he doesn't stop worrying about his family whenever he's on the road. "But what to do," he asked. The family has to survive.

The youngest member of the group, Azar Hassam, enjoys being a bachelor. Like Abdil, he is not gripped with worries about the safety of his family when he is on the road. Each driver knows the road like the back of his hand - what to expect, when to slow down or speed up, where to take in the magnificent views or focus on the roads that run through the desert. A stretch of smooth road punctuated by occasional bumps leads one to Gushgi. On either side of the road are rows of desert plants. Reduced to brown twigs, these hardy perennials bear bright blossoms in the spring. Occasionally, the driver slows down as a camel or herd of sheep or cattle may be crossing the road. From a distance, the peasants till the fields without looking up and children walk home from school as if the whole world was waiting. The view comes alive as one approaches Gushgi when the vast golden hills materialise in the horizon.

The sun has almost set when the convoy reached Imam Baba, a small village in Mary. The group stopped in the village's "kafe" for an early dinner of "pirogi" or bread stuffed with meat and potato, beef stew and tea. Stories were shared and for a while, their worries seemed to be miles away. As usual, the young Abdil excitedly talked of his plans when they reach Afghanistan. Abdullah, meanwhile, sat quietly and rubbed his beard while listening to the stories. Dressed in a blue grey sherwani, Abdullah is looking more like a philosopher who was holding court with his students than an ageing truck driver.

By midnight, the convoy reached Gushgi, the southernmost town on the Afghan border. By seven the following morning, Abdil and his team were ready to leave Gushgi and cross the Afghan village of Turghundi. The team spent half an hour sorting out exit requirements with border police and customs officials. By half past eight, the last truck of the convoy crossed the three-kilometer no-man's-land and moved into Turghundi.

This will certainly not be the last convoy that O'Neill will organize. He's busy organizing a convoy that will leave the capital city of Ashgabat all the way down to Mazar-I-Sharif. This will be the first time that a convoy will be dispatched from the city. "It is a never-ending process of learning," he says. "Yes, a convoy on the move, flags fluttering, is a fine sight and the product of many grinds."