Afghanistan

Record violence hinders aid, say NGOs

Article published on the 2008-08-01 Latest update 2008-08-01 15:01 TU

A destroyed police vehicle is put on a truck after a bomb blast in Nangarhar province
(Photo: Reuters)

Violence in Afghanistan is at its highest since the US-led intervention of 2001, according to a coalition of NGOs who say that relief efforts have been cut back because of the growing insurgency. The Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (Acbar) says that about 2,500 people are reported to have lost their lives this year and that 19 of them were aid workers.

Unrest has spread to once stable areas, says Acbar, and that has forced NGOs to scale back relief work at a time when drought and soaring food prices make them necessary for millions of people.

"So far this year the number of insurgent attacks, bombings and other violent incidents is up by approximately 50 per cent on the same period last year," the coalition says.

Citing figures from a number of sources it puts the number if insurgent attacks in May at 463, rising to 569 in June, a "greater than the number of such attacks in any other month since the end of major hostilities following the international intervention in 2001".

In initial estimates put the number of civilians killed in July at 260. Acbar says that two-thirds of reported civilian casualties can be attributed to insurgents but believes that air strikes by international military forces, up by about 40 per cent on last year, have also contributed.

Aid workers are often targeted by suporters of the deposed Taliban movement, Acbar's Anjade Beer told RFI.

"What happens is that people circulate what they call night letters and then they warn staff of certain NGOs not to work for NGOs any more otherewise they will be punished, they will be killed," she says. "Or people come in the offices and rob and say ‘Next time if you’re still working for NGOs we kill you’."

Acbar called on all parties to the conflict to prioritise civilian safety and observe international laws of armed conflict.

These include distinguishuing between civilians and combatants, not using civilians as human shields and not attacking humanitarian development or medical personnel or supplies.

One Nato soldier and five Afghan police are reported to have been killed on Friday.