UNITED NATIONS – A 51% increase in violence in Afghanistan reinforces the need for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to remain committed to the country’s political and security development, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a June 23 report to the UN Security Council.
“Security for the United Nations in Afghanistan has become an increasing challenge for the organization,” said the report. “Persistent insecurity has brought about a steady rise in civilian casualties.”
Ban prepares a report on Afghanistan every six months.
Ban reported a 51% increase in security incidents in Afghanistan in the second quarter of 2011, most of which were armed clashes with militants and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Those led to 2,950 civilian casualties in the second quarter of 2011 – a 20% jump from the same period last year.
Suicide bombings also rose dramatically in the second quarter, including 17 such attacks in April. About 25% of the total attacks occurred in Kandahar and its surrounding communities.
Militants cause 80% of civilian casualties
The UN attributed 80% of civilian casualties to militant actions. It has previously reported 75% of all civilian casualties to militant attacks.
“Despite the Taliban’s public statements that the offensive should target exclusively military objectives and ensure the protection of civilians, indiscriminate attacks against civilians continued,” Ban said in the report. “Intimidation, abduction and assassination of civilians associated with the Government and pro-Government forces increased, further violating the human rights of Afghans.”
“Positive steps toward regional co-operation will also be important for the sustainability of any eventual peace process,” he said.
The report indicated that Afghan National Security Forces are continuing to improve through internationally led training and “capacity-building” efforts, but Ban noted the importance of building upon those efforts as Afghan security forces begin the transition process this month of taking over more security responsibilities.
“The transition process faces many challenges as it moves from July onward into the implementation phase for the first group of areas identified,” he said. “Yet as the transition process matures, it is important to ensure that it is Afghan-owned.”
Separating al-Qaeda, Taliban will help reconciliation
Ban also emphasised the need for the Afghan reconciliation process to progress in hopes of discouraging Taliban attacks. Toward that end, he praised the Security Council’s recent decision to separate al-Qaeda and the Taliban on the UN’s sanctions list as “a positive development in support of the Afghan-led reconciliation efforts.”
“The Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme is currently the one working programme dealing with the reintegration of armed anti-Government individuals and groups willing to lay down their weapon,” Ban said. “This should be supported by the international community, not least so as to safeguard the hard-earned political gains made by Afghanistan’s democratic institutions.”
C. Asian commitment praised
Ban also applauded Central Asia’s ongoing commitment to Afghanistan’s “sovereignty, indivisibility and territorial integrity.” He cited the May 10 Fourth Conference of the Least Developed Countries, which included government ministers from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and April and June meetings between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani officials as contributing to regional co-operation.
“Positive steps toward regional co-operation will also be important for the sustainability of any eventual peace process,” he said. “The joint statement issued at the (June 11) meeting noted that Pakistan expressed its full support for the efforts of the High Peace Council for promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and assured Pakistan’s cooperation and support to the Council’s efforts.”
But Afghans still require much assistance – regionally and internationally – for humanitarian needs, especially as security woes further hampered the country’s current humanitarian projects, Ban noted.
“In the central region, only 39 out of 111 districts were accessible to the United Nations, and in and around Kandahar only five out of 55 districts were accessible,” Ban said. “United Nations agencies restricted their activities to provincial headquarters and their immediate surroundings.”
The Afghan government’s own efforts to further develop the country remain reliant on the country’s economy improving, the report stated.
“Afghanistan’s prioritized development agenda is taking place, however, against the backdrop of the continued absence of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) country programme,” Ban said, adding “… that the continued lack of an IMF programme will have marked negative consequences for the Government’s potential ability to pay salaries as well as for the continued implementation of national programmes.”
Ban noted that the government has implemented or begun implementation of 11 of the 22 nation priority programmes of the Kabul Process outlined in Karzai’s 2009 inauguration speech and at the January 2010 London Conference.
Among the programmes under way, efforts to improve infrastructure, education, health and vocational training have “made significant headway,” while much work is left to be done in improving justice, sub-national governance and public administration, he said.
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