Conflict and consequences in Afghanistan

Duration of the conflict
28 years and continuing

Nature of the conflict
In 1979, Afghanistan became embroiled in a ten-year war with the Soviet Union. After the Soviets withdrew, the conflict developed into a civil war. It has since evolved into a regional conflict. At present, Afghan and Western troops engage in daily battle with Taliban and Al Qaida insurgents, primarily in the Southern and Eastern parts of the country.

Humanitarian aspects
Human Development Index 2007¹: Afghanistan is not included in the HDI because the UNDP does not have the necessary data to rank Afghanistan. Over one million civilians have died and approximately one tenth of the population is disabled. There are over two million Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan.

Child soldiers
UNICEF discontinued its child soldier demobilisation programme in 2006. It is assumed that there are no child soldiers engaged in the present conflict.

Country's current phase
The country's Southern and Eastern regions are suffering from a chronic crisis. A gradual recovery process can be observed in the rest of the country.

Problems

Political and military developments in 2007 give no reason to believe that the situation in Afghanistan will stabilise in the near future. Things might even get worse. Over the last period, the work of humanitarian organisations has become increasingly dangerous. Aid workers continuously face the threat of being kidnapped or attacked, in the Kabul area as well as in other cities. Recovery of infrastructure and government institutions destroyed by the conflict is a very slow process.

Children
Each year, thousands of children die as a result of malnutrition and airway infections. The maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world. It is estimated that only 4% of Afghan women can read and write. Many Afghan children have been separated from their parents while fleeing from the violence or after they were forced out of their homes.

Children in armed groups
In 2004, 8000 children were fighting in armed factions according to UNICEF. Because there are no indications that the Taliban uses children in their struggle, the UNICEF demobilisation programme was ended in 2006. It is presently assumed that there are no child soldiers active in Afghanistan.

¹ Human Development Index 2007: Human Development Index 2007: This United Nations index is a classification of countries based on their level of development (in terms of poverty, illiteracy, education, and life expectancy).