ASIA/AFGHANISTAN - Political framework blocked due to Covid-19: further positive effects of the peace agreement

Friday, 17 April 2020 peace   solidarity   healthcare   politics   talibans  

Kabul (Agenzia Fides) - It took ten years to sign an agreement and, after the one signed between the United States, the Taliban and the Afghan government, hopes had grown. But now the Covid-19 emergency blocks the situation and brings Afghanistan back into a political and social stalemate. "The first wish for this new year is peace. I would like the disagreements among politicians to be resolved. I wish all young people were given the opportunity for an education. And, once peace is restored, and the time of the pandemic is over, I would like to visit all the Afghan provinces and help them", says in a conversation with Agenzia Fides Qais Murshid, 25-year-old leader of the environmental movement "Friday For Future - Afghanistan". The young leader expresses all the hopes of the young Afghans, in the first weeks after the "Nawrūz", a feast which can be compared to the Western New Year.
Murshid also takes stock of the past year: "We have achieved important results for the Afghan people. The elections were finally held, while the US and the Taliban signed a pact. In addition, some sites of historical and cultural interest have been reconstructed and we have managed to bring the government's attention to the environmental issue".
As the activist says, spring 2020 seemed to represent a moment of serenity and recovery in the country's complicated situation, but the fragile general picture was marred by the coronavirus pandemic and the dangers it brings. Despite the peace agreement signed in February between the United States and the Taliban movement, the political situation in Afghanistan still remains uncertain and society continues to suffer. The arrival of the Covid-19 emergency seems to have "frozen" the situation and slowed down the implementation of the peace plan, also because the United States is internally committed to tackling the emergency.
As Barnabite Fr. Giuseppe Moretti, missionary in Afghanistan from 1990 to 2015 explained to Agenzia Fides, "with the stipulation of the agreement between the government and the Taliban, we hope that Afghanistan can begin a real path towards the construction of a human nation, a path of serenity, development and peace". (LF-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 17/4/2020)


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