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WORLD BRIDGE BLOG
Afghanistan: Humanitarian Space Amid Escalating Violence
January 13, 2009 | Limnyuy Konglim | Tagged as: Afghanistan, U.S. Administration, United Nations, Neglected Crises
This past May, Refugees International conducted a mission in Afghanistan to assess the humanitarian response to the needs of Afghan returnees. Amid preparations for the trip, we were very concerned about the security situation in Afghanistan and took extra lengths to ensure that our staff would be safe. Between April and June, roadside bomb incidents involving US and NATO troops reached their highest level in four years. And with 260 civilians killed in July alone, overall violence has reached its highest level since 2001. Thankfully, after a mission that spanned multiple cities and involved a great deal of road travel, our advocates returned home safely.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for some of our colleagues at other organizations, who have suffered from fatal attacks this summer. A few weeks ago, three aid workers from the International Rescue Committee were killed in an ambush, while traveling to Kabul in their clearly marked vehicle. And just yesterday, a Japanese aid worker was found dead in eastern Afghanistan after being kidnapped earlier this week, marking the 20th aid worker killed this year in that country alone.
International aid organizations have found themselves in a precarious situation, conflicted between providing Afghans with the social services that they lack (due to a weak central government) and working in the best interests of their staff. However, as insecurity within Afghanistan grows, aid groups are forced to limit and sometimes even halt their operations in certain regions. Though understandable, this is a move which serves as a detriment to civilians deprived of needed assistance and may fuel grievances, further exacerbating the security situation.
The deployment of international troops to Afghanistan has continued to increase, but so have the number of insurgents. Though there is a strong desire to defeat the Taliban and establish democracy in Afghanistan, the international community must realize that peace works in tandem with humanitarian efforts. Within an environment of aggressive and violent impunity, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
When my colleagues returned from Afghanistan last month, they reported that the billions of dollars invested in Afghanistan must be reallocated towards community-level initiatives. As the Taliban has publicly waged a war against all foreign “occupiers” -- including humanitarian aid workers-- providing Afghans the means to identify, plan, manage and monitor their own development projects is becoming even more crucial.
--Limnyuy Konglim
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for some of our colleagues at other organizations, who have suffered from fatal attacks this summer. A few weeks ago, three aid workers from the International Rescue Committee were killed in an ambush, while traveling to Kabul in their clearly marked vehicle. And just yesterday, a Japanese aid worker was found dead in eastern Afghanistan after being kidnapped earlier this week, marking the 20th aid worker killed this year in that country alone.
International aid organizations have found themselves in a precarious situation, conflicted between providing Afghans with the social services that they lack (due to a weak central government) and working in the best interests of their staff. However, as insecurity within Afghanistan grows, aid groups are forced to limit and sometimes even halt their operations in certain regions. Though understandable, this is a move which serves as a detriment to civilians deprived of needed assistance and may fuel grievances, further exacerbating the security situation.
The deployment of international troops to Afghanistan has continued to increase, but so have the number of insurgents. Though there is a strong desire to defeat the Taliban and establish democracy in Afghanistan, the international community must realize that peace works in tandem with humanitarian efforts. Within an environment of aggressive and violent impunity, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
When my colleagues returned from Afghanistan last month, they reported that the billions of dollars invested in Afghanistan must be reallocated towards community-level initiatives. As the Taliban has publicly waged a war against all foreign “occupiers” -- including humanitarian aid workers-- providing Afghans the means to identify, plan, manage and monitor their own development projects is becoming even more crucial.
--Limnyuy Konglim
Labels: Afghanistan
