15 Aug 2023 at 05:17
Exactly two years ago, the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan after the last American troops withdrew. In the beginning the jihadists promised to rule ‘softly’, but that soon turned out to be an empty promise. How are you now?
Two years after taking power, the Taliban have no significant opponents. Occasionally a group such as Islamic State (IS) carries out an attack. In March, for example, another senior member of the Taliban was killed in an explosion in his office.
But it is unrealistic that IS or any other group could take power in Afghanistan. They do not have enough money, fighters and other resources for a major offensive against the Taliban. Protests are rare.
“The secret of their success is that they are united,” Abdul Salam Zaeef says news agency AP. Salam Zaeef was a Taliban envoy to Pakistan when they were in power in the 1990s.
According to him, the Taliban are united behind ideological leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. “If someone expresses their opinion or their thoughts, it does not mean that someone is against the leadership.” According to him, disagreements are presented to Akhundzada. He decides. “They follow his word.”
Criticism does come out from time to time. Such was the Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani in February implicitly critical in a speech at the police academy. Also would according to a UN delegation opinions are divided about the repressive measures that Akhundzada is introducing against women and girls.
Little help from the West
Nearly 80 percent of the Western-backed Afghan government’s budget came from the international community. That money was used, among other things, to finance hospitals, schools and ministries. When the Taliban came to power, this money flow stopped. Billions of dollars in assets have also been frozen. This caused the Afghan economy to collapse.
Nevertheless, the World Bank reported last month that the afghani (the Afghan currency) rose in value. Most civil servants are paid and most basic items are available, although demand is low.
The Taliban have held investment talks with countries in the region, including China and Kazakhstan. In June, a meeting was held between the Prime Minister of Qatar and Akhundzada. And while Western countries refuse to recognize the Taliban, countries such as China, Russia and neighboring Pakistan are calling for an end to sanctions.
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Poverty, malnutrition and child labour
The fact that the Taliban is doing well does not mean that the population is doing well. Afghanistan is experiencing a severe drought for the third year in a row. According to refugee foundation the country is facing a humanitarian crisis. Poverty and malnutrition are on the rise. Of the 41 million inhabitants, 24 million people depend on aid. There is a food shortage for 20 million people.
Aid organization Save the Children surveyed 1207 adults and 1205 children in six Afghan provinces between July 8 and August 2, 2023. It shows that 38.4 percent of children have to work to help their parents survive. Three-quarters of the children surveyed said they eat less than a year ago.
The aid organization calls on the international community not to freeze or stop existing funding for humanitarian aid, because it mainly affects the civilian population. “We hope that the international community, which has significantly cut food aid funding across Afghanistan, will reconsider this isolationist approach,” said country director Arshad Malik.
An Afghan women’s football team, before the takeover of power by the Taliban. Photo: AP
Women’s rights further restricted
When the Taliban recaptured Kabul in August 2021, they initially pledged to respect the rights of women and girls. Two years later concludes Amnesty International that “any meaningful form of public or political participation by women and girls is now prohibited”.
Since November 2022, women are no longer allowed to go to the park or the gym. In December, Afghan universities were declared off-limits. A few days later it was announced that they are no longer allowed to work for national and international NGOs. And women are only allowed to make long journeys in the presence of a male companion.
In July, the Taliban ordered beauty salons to close because they offer “non-Muslim services” such as eyebrow shaping. As a result, 60,000 female entrepreneurs were affected and the meeting places for women outside the home were further restricted. Women who protested against this were dealt with harshly.
Women who resist oppression can be imprisoned for no good reason, forced to ‘disappear’ or tortured, according to Amnesty. The Taliban previously abolished rules to protect women against this type of violence.
Girls are still allowed to go to primary school, but they are not always safe there. For example, 60 girls were hospitalized after people broke into their school in June and bombarded classrooms with a toxic substance.
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2023-08-15 03:17:00
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