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Extremely Together
MAZAR - OCTOBER 31: Afghan school girls, from Mazar, Balkh, stand on attention October 31, 2009 during a ceremony in Mazar, northern Afghanistan. School receives foreign donor support.
Editorial credit: Lizette Potgieter / Shutterstock.com

We stand with the people of Afghanistan

A statement on the situation in Afghanistan by Extremely Together Young Leaders Arizza Nocum, Bjørn Ihler, Hajer Sharief and Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi.

In the world of politicians and policymakers, diplomats and dignitaries, in the lecture halls of western universities and the offices of think tanks, it seems many have forgotten that terrorism is real. For far too many around the globe, terrorism is a lived reality — a daily threat to both security and dignity.

Terrorism is not just another abstract concept to be analyzed, to be discussed and covered by the news. It’s not a problem of the internet of strategic communications, intel or policy. Terrorism is a human problem, costing human lives, tearing real families apart.

We in Extremely Together know this. We have felt it on our own bodies. We have seen it with our own eyes. We have feared for our own lives and the lives of our friends.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, who, after 40 years of war, are experiencing the military takeover of the country by the Taliban. 

The country has already been bled dry by the escalating violence of the last 6 months, current drought and COVID-19:

  • Almost half of Afghanistan’s population needs emergency aid due to 40 years of war and displacement, compounded by a severe drought and COVID-19.[1]
  • Fighting across the country has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people since 2009 when UN reporting began.[2]
  • Casualties have risen more than 50 per cent already in the first half of the year.[3]
  • From 1 January to 30 June 2021 alone, 287,000 people have been displaced due to fighting.[4]

We are extremely concerned by the retake of the country by the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and who has, over decades, committed horrific acts of violence, summary executions, and grave violations of women’s rights.

“Responsibility to protect needs to be coupled with a responsibility to rebuild.”

The global community has a responsibility to the people of Afghanistan. Both as a result of our actions in the country and as a result of our shared humanity. Responsibility to protect needs to be coupled with a responsibility to rebuild. A responsibility neglected to disastrous results in several countries currently going through civil wars and the takeover by violent groups, including Libya and Iraq.

We call on the global community to:

  1. Provide refuge to the Afghans who flee the country and strengthen their emergency response to the people. This is the responsibility of the international community.
  2. Boost their emergency aid relief and not let the evacuation of their staff from the country affect their aid capacity.

What else can you do to help?

  1. Listen to the experiences of Afghans and stay tuned to how the situation unfolds as there will be more needs and new ways to help them in the coming months.
  2. Show your support to the people of Afghanistan by sharing this statement or other messages of solidarity.
  3. Provide your direct support through international and national NGOs helping the Afghan people.

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Sources:

[1] Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths Statement on Afghanistan, 9 August 2021
[2] Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths Statement on Afghanistan, 9 August 2021
[3] https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/afghanistan/are-taliban-path-victory
[4] Protection Cluster/UNHCR, Afghanistan: Protection Analysis Update 2021 – QUARTER 2