TOPLINE Weeks after the Taliban wrested control over Afghanistan from the country’s former government, the group is asking to participate in the United Nations’ annual General Assembly as it angles for international recognition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a letter Monday purporting to be from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban’s formal name for its government, Guterres’ spokesperson Farhan Haq confirmed to&nbsp;Forbes.



The group asked to join the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly, an annual meeting of world leaders in New York City that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/un-general-assembly-09-21-21/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opened this week</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/en/ga/76/meetings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">will end Monday</a>.



The letter also said Taliban spokesperson Souhail Shaheen should replace the former Afghan government’s permanent representative to the United Nations, according to Haq.



Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid indicated an interest in recognition Tuesday, claiming “the responsibility of the United Nations to recognize our government [and] for other countries … to have diplomatic relations with us,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/world/asia/taliban-women-government.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York Times</a>&nbsp;reported.



Reuters first reported on the Taliban’s U.N. request Tuesday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



It’s not clear whether the U.N will review the Taliban’s request by the time this year’s session wraps up. The U.N. General Assembly’s credentials committee was tasked with handling the Taliban’s letter, but that group — which includes the United States, China, Russia and six other U.N. members — hasn’t scheduled any meetings yet, Haq told&nbsp;Forbes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan over the summer as the U.S. military withdrew its troops from the country, and by mid-August, the group entered the capital of Kabul for the first time since the United States launched its war in Afghanistan in 2001. The group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/taliban-name-deputy-ministers-double-down-on-all-male-team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">says it wants diplomatic relations</a>&nbsp;with the rest of the world, and it has publicly promised to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-kabul-1d4b052ccef113adc8dc94f965ff23c7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">respect women</a>, grant&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/talibans-pledge-of-amnesty-for-security-officials-meets-widespread-distrust-11631611675" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amnesty</a>&nbsp;to Afghans who worked for the former government and allow people to leave Afghanistan. However, reports have emerged of Taliban operatives&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/world/asia/taliban-women-afghanistan.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">barring women</a>&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-women-bankers-forced-roles-taliban-takes-control-2021-08-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/world/asia/afghan-girls-schools-taliban.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">school</a>, meting out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghanistan-journalists-taliban/2021/09/17/81b44d5a-1722-11ec-a019-cb193b28aa73_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">harsh</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/08/asia/afghanistan-women-taliban-government-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">punishments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58271797" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">searching</a>&nbsp;for the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/29/world/some-afghans-say-that-enemies-of-the-taliban-have-begun-to-disappear.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adversaries</a>&nbsp;— echoing the harsh, fundamentalist style of governance imposed by the Taliban when it first ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2000. The Taliban also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/09/07/us-worried-about-members-of-new-taliban-cabinet---which-includes-minister-on-fbi-wanted-list/">faced rebukes</a>&nbsp;earlier this month for forming a cabinet composed largely of Taliban operatives — including a leader of the Haqqani Network, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. On Tuesday, the group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/09/21/taliban-says-it-wants-women-to-join-cabinet-just-not-yet/?sh=402cec66c1e3">said</a>&nbsp;it would eventually add women to its cabinet, but didn’t specify when.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



Foreign governments still haven’t recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers yet, though officials from <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-05/pakistan-s-spy-chief-visits-kabul-for-meeting-with-taliban" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pakistan</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatari-foreign-minister-visits-kabul-al-jazeera-says-2021-09-12/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Qatar</a> reportedly met with the Taliban in Afghanistan earlier this month, and the U.S. military spoke with the Taliban during its frantic evacuation mission from Kabul’s international airport in August. Pakistan’s foreign minister said Monday he doesn’t think “anyone is in a rush to recognize at this stage,” the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-latest-johnson-to-bolsonaro-vaccines-save-lives/2021/09/20/7f1c0c6a-1a40-11ec-bea8-308ea134594f_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a> reported, even though Pakistan <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031809296/pakistan-helped-create-the-taliban-heres-what-it-means-for-the-country-now" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recognized the Taliban</a> during its first stint in power and has faced allegations of supporting the group since then, a charge the country <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/05/1034439237/how-pakistan-is-reacting-to-the-return-of-the-taliban-in-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">denies</a>.



BY <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/">Joe Walsh</a>Forbes Staff

Press conference by Taliban political office delegation in Moscow

Taliban Asks To Participate In U.N. Session

TOPLINE Taliban co-founder and political chief Abdul Ghani Baradar is set to lead the new government in Afghanistan, reports said on Friday, formalizing the Taliban’s grip on Kabul just days after the U.S. military and its allies withdrew all their soldiers and officials from the country.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Baradar will be aided by two other senior leaders: Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai and Mohammad Yaqoob, son of deceased Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, Reuters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-co-founder-baradar-lead-new-afghanistan-govt-sources-2021-09-03/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>, citing a Taliban official.



The Taliban’s supreme religious leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, will not be part of the political leadership but will remain in charge of religious matters.



The leadership announcement comes at a time when new Afghan leadership faces crises on multiple fronts, including a devastated economy and growing rebellion in the country’s northern Panjshir Valley.



Peace talks between the Taliban and a militia group led by Ahmad Massoud—the son of former anti-Taliban Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud—have reportedly broken down, with both sides preparing for a possible conflict.



The Taliban government will also have to tackle an Afghan economy that is on the verge of collapse as all foreign aid has dried up and the country’s $9.4 billion in cash reserves have been frozen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Baradar, who co-founded the Taliban in the 1990s, held several senior government positions when the militant group was previously in power between 1996 and 2001. After the Taliban government was dismantled by the 2001 U.S. invasion, Baradar helped lead the insurgent group’s fighters. He was eventually captured in Pakistan, near the city of Karachi, in 2010 in a mission that is believed to have been jointly planned by Pakistani and U.S. operatives. But he was released from prison in 2018 by Pakistani officials after the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-taliban-leader-emerges-hunted-jailed-and-now-free-11629154710" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;lobbied for his release as it began peace talks with the Taliban. Since his release, Baradar has helped lead the Taliban’s negotiations with the U.S.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



The Taliban’s former supreme leader and co-founder, Mohammed Omar,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4b922166-1d8d-11df-a893-00144feab49a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coined</a>&nbsp;the nom de guerre “Baradar” for his colleague – which means “brother”. Baradar had worked closely with Omar in a group of Mujahideens who fought against the Soviet presence in the country in the 1980s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



The Taliban has indicated it will try to seek international recognition of its government’s legitimacy as this would be crucial for opening the door to international aid. Access to foreign aid and the country’s foreign cash reserves will be critical for the Taliban as Afghanistan teeters on the brink of economic collapse. Both the United States and its European allies have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/world/asia/taliban-un-afghanistan-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urged</a>&nbsp;the Taliban to form an inclusive government that represents women and the country’s various religious and ethnic minorities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/17/who-runs-the-taliban-these-are-some-of-the-groups-top-leaders/">Who Runs The Taliban? These Are Some Of The Group’s Top Leaders.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-co-founder-baradar-lead-new-afghanistan-govt-sources-2021-09-03/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taliban co-founder Baradar to lead new Afghanistan govt &#8211; sources</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)



<a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/08/mullah-baradar-afghanistans-president-in-waiting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mullah Baradar: Afghanistan’s President-in-Waiting?</a> (The Diplomat)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

What You Need To Know About Abdul Ghani Baradar— The Taliban Leader Poised To Lead Afghanistan’s New Government

TOPLINE Saturday was the seventh day that Taliban fighters have been in control of Afghanistan&#8217;s capital after the Western-backed government collapsed last Sunday, leading to scenes of chaos and dramatic shifts.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52248" width="718" height="479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234782958-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /><figcaption>KABUL, AFGHANISTAN &#8212; AUGUST 20, 2021: Protection detail for Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, a leader of the Taliban affiliated Haqqani network, and a U.S.-designated terrorist with a five million dollar bounty, after visiting the Pul-I-Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)</figcaption></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The Taliban rolled into Kabul last weekend after taking just 11 days to seize control of the vast majority of Afghanistan following a U.S. troop drawdown, and declared the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/19/taliban-declares-formation-of-islamic-emirate-groups-fighters-open-fire-at-protest-rally/">&#8220;Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan&#8221;</a>&nbsp;on Thursday—the same name Afghanistan had under Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.



Reporters on the ground in Kabul say Taliban fighters are now patrolling essentially every block in the city, prompting concerns of a return to the brutality seen the last time the Taliban was in power, when it enforced an extremely conservative interpretation of Sharia law.



Afghans desperate to escape the Taliban stormed Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, with some dying after clinging onto the outside of a U.S. C-17 military plane as it took off.



Thousands of U.S. soldiers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/08/14/biden-dispatching-2000-more-troops-to-aid-afghanistan-evacuation/">were ordered into Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;to retake control of the airport, with planes now departing full of Americans and Afghan refugees fleeing the country.



The Taliban claims Afghans&#8217; fears are unfounded, promising &#8220;amnesty&#8221; for those who worked with the U.S. and saying some of the harsh policies of their earlier rule—like forbidding education for women—will not be repeated.



There are already signs the Taliban is hardening its rule, though, as fighters go on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/20/taliban-kill-journalists-relative-in-intensifying-door-to-door-hunt-for-media-and-collaborators-with-previous-afghan-government-or-us-nato-forces/?sh=4c9e3c6e6544">door-to-door manhunts</a> looking for journalists and those who worked for the previous Afghan government.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52250" width="791" height="527" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234823563-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px" /><figcaption>TOPSHOT &#8211; Armed Taliban fighters stand next to an Imam during the Friday noon prayer in the Abdul Rahman Mosque in Kabul on August 20, 2021, as the Islamists are swiftly moving to stamp their authority on Afghanistan. (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1024x675.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52249" width="735" height="484" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1024x675.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-300x198.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-768x506.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234802994-2048x1350.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /><figcaption>HAMID KARZAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT &#8212; AUGUST 16, 2021: Maxar satellite imagery of the runway at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan. Please use: Satellite image (c) 2021 Maxar Technologies.</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52247" width="681" height="454" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1335288603-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px" /><figcaption>BILBAO BASQUE COUNTRY, SPAIN &#8211; AUGUST 20: A woman holds the Afghan flag and cries in a rally to denounce the advance of the Taliban control in Afghanistan and the setback of Human Rights that it means in the citizenship, on 20 August, 2021 in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The protest has been called by the feminist group Euskal Elkartasun Feminista, EEF, in defense of the rights of citizenship and especially of Afghan women and girls, after the Taliban have managed to take control of Afghanistan. (Photo By H.Bilbao/Europa Press via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52246" width="718" height="479" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234825348-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /><figcaption>A Afghan boy walks by the fences guarded by the Pakistani paramilitary personnel at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 23, 2021 following Taliban&#8217;s military takeover of Afghanistan. (Photo by &#8211; / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52244" width="732" height="488" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" /><figcaption>A man carries Taliban flags to sell at the Karte Mamorin area of Kabul on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1024x689.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52241" width="679" height="457" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1024x689.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-300x202.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-768x517.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-1536x1034.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779254-2048x1378.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 679px) 100vw, 679px" /><figcaption>US President Joe Biden responds to questions about the ongoing US military evacuations of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 20, 2021. &#8211; Biden said Friday he has not seen America&#8217;s allies question US credibility over the conduct of its withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Taliban took over the country. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52242" width="621" height="415" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234779888-2048x1367.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px" /><figcaption>Spanish Minister of Presidency Felix Bolanos (2L) welcomes Afghan nationals upon their arrival aboard a second evacuation airplane, carrying Afghan collaborators and their families, that landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base, 30 km away from Madrid, on August 20, 2021. &#8211; More than a hundred Afghans arrived today in Madrid, aboard the second evacuation flight organized by Spain since the capture of Kabul by the Taliban. The 110 Afghans left Kabul, passing through Dubai and then landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz military base, northeast of Madrid, where the reception hub for Afghans who worked for the European Union and their families is located. (Photo by Mariscal / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARISCAL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52243" width="753" height="502" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234783111-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 753px) 100vw, 753px" /><figcaption>KABUL, AFGHANISTAN &#8212; AUGUST 20, 2021: Taliban fighters lay their weapons down and pray during Friday Islamic prayers at the Pul-I-Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)</figcaption></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52244" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234813363-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>A man carries Taliban flags to sell at the Karte Mamorin area of Kabul on August 22, 2021. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi / AFP) (Photo by HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



By Nicholas Reimann, Forbes Staff

PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

9 Days Under The Taliban: Photos Of Kabul Under Its New Rulers

TOPLINE A relative of a journalist working for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has been killed as the Taliban is carrying out “door-to-door” manhunts in an effort to round up journalists and people who worked for the previous Afghan government or Western forces, a U.N. threat assessment has warned, escalating fears of reprisals despite the group vowing <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/17/transcript-of-talibans-first-press-conference-in-kabul" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amnesty</a> for Afghans working for the previous government and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/17/taliban-seek-no-revenge-and-all-afghans-will-be-forgiven" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">independence</a> for journalists.   



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



The Taliban “shot dead” and seriously injured two family members of a journalist working for DW in a door-to-door manhunt, the German broadcaster&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/relative-of-dw-journalist-killed-by-the-taliban/a-58912975" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Thursday night.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Taliban has raided the homes of at least three journalists with the broadcaster and is likely involved in the kidnapping and shooting of other journalists in Afghanistan, DW said in a statement.



DW’s director general Peter Limbourg said “it is evident that the Taliban are already carrying out organized searches for journalists” in Kabul and other provinces and urged, alongside other media organizations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/dw-urges-german-government-to-help-afghan-staff/a-58890960" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">governments</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://rsf.org/en/news/rsf-seeks-un-security-council-meeting-plight-journalists-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">international</a>&nbsp;organizations to take swift action to ensure the safety of journalists in Afghanistan.&nbsp;



It comes as the Taliban is intensifying efforts to round up Afghan “collaborators” with suspected ties to the previous government and Western forces,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-hunting-down-afghans-on-blacklist-report/a-58914571" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a>&nbsp;to a confidential U.N. intelligence report written by the RHIPTO Norwegian Center for Global Analyses and seen by news outlets.



Christian Nellemann, who leads the group,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/20/taliban-un-report-afghanistan-door-to-door-revenge" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;AFP the Taliban is “targeting the families of those who refuse to give themselves up,” prosecuting and punishing them instead in apparent accordance with Sharia law.



“We expect both individuals previously working with NATO and U.S. forces and their allies, alongside with their family members to be exposed to torture and executions,” Nellemann said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Taliban swiftly retook Kabul and much of Afghanistan after the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/04/13/biden-plans-to-pull-all-troops-from-afghanistan-by-911/?sh=68b8a9492f51">withdrawal</a>&nbsp;of U.S. forces, sparking an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210816-western-powers-scramble-to-evacuate-from-afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exodus</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-rescue-staff-taliban-afghanistan/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diplomatic</a>&nbsp;staff, foreign nationals and some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/16/taliban-says-afghanistan-war-over-as-president-diplomats-flee" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local Afghan staff</a>. Thousands of Afghans have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/16/us-forces-resort-to-aerial-firing-as-chaos-unfolds-at-kabul-airport/?sh=5a8fa52565d0">crowded</a>&nbsp;Kabul airport in the aftermath of the takeover in an attempt to flee and the State Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/18/us-says-it-cannot-ensure-safe-passage-to-kabuls-airport-despite-taliban-pledge/?sh=4d7f64ea72b7">said</a>&nbsp;it could not guarantee Americans could reach the airport safely. NATO&nbsp;<a href="https://news.sky.com/story/afghanistan-taliban-urge-people-to-leave-kabul-airport-after-12-people-killed-there-since-sunday-12384959" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">officials</a>&nbsp;said at least 12 have died in and around the airport since Sunday. The Taliban—which brutally ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and harshly restricted rights for women and many other groups—said it would respect women’s rights “within the limits of Islam.” As with vows of amnesty, there are already reports of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-women-bankers-forced-roles-taliban-takes-control-2021-08-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rollbacks to women’s rights</a>&nbsp;in some cities.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/08/17/who-runs-the-taliban-these-are-some-of-the-groups-top-leaders/?sh=5974d2a81a14">Who Runs The Taliban? These Are Some Of The Group’s Top Leaders.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/graisondangor/2021/08/18/taliban-is-letting-un-work-continue-so-far-officials-say/?sh=23bc7aab62a5">Taliban Is Letting U.N. Work Continue So Far, Officials Say</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-hunting-down-afghans-on-blacklist-report/a-58914571" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taliban hunting down Afghans on blacklist — report</a>&nbsp;(DW)



<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58271797" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Afghanistan: Taliban carrying out door-to-door manhunt, report says</a> (BBC)



By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Taliban Kill Journalist’s Relative In Intensifying ‘Door-To-Door’ Hunt For Media And ‘Collaborators’ With Previous Afghan Government Or U.S., NATO Forces

TOPLINE Several deaths were reported amid chaotic scenes at the Afghan airport as U.S. forces resorted to aerial firing and using low-flying helicopters to disperse thousands of Afghan nationals who had crowded the tarmac in a desperate attempt to catch a flight out of the country, just a day after the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan’s capital.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Local media reports&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TOLOnews/status/1427204278695997442" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">showed</a>&nbsp;people running alongside and clinging on to the side of a departing U.S. Air Force C-17 plane as it took off from the runway only to&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/trbrtc/status/1427190555184877574" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plunge</a>&nbsp;to their deaths after the aircraft gained altitude, according to&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;journalist Christiaan Triebert.



Earlier in the day, witnesses&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/least-five-killed-kabul-airport-witnesses-2021-08-16/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;Reuters that at least five people were killed in Kabul Airport, but it’s unclear if these deaths are the result of stampede-like conditions or aerial firing by U.S. forces.



All commercial flights have been suspended from Kabul airport with only military aircraft being allowed to operate, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AdityaRajKaul/status/1427156067205611524" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">notice</a>&nbsp;issued by U.S. officials.



Thousands of Afghan people entered the airport premises on Sunday evening, desperately hoping to catch a flight out of the country and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/ahmermkhan/status/1427126954415648769" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">videos</a>&nbsp;from Monday morning showed hundreds trying to enter a plane by climbing the ladder on the side of a jet bridge.



U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that all U.S. Embassy staff have been evacuated to Kabul airport, the perimeter of which is secured by U.S. forces.



Earlier in the day, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/USEmbassyKabul/status/1427105342949842948" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;that the situation in the city was unsafe as it urged American citizens and Afghan nationals to not travel to the airport until notified.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday, facing zero resistance after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. The speed of the Taliban’s military blitz caught the U.S. and many of its allies off guard as they attempted to evacuate their embassy staff and other officials from the country. Earlier U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/08/12/kabul-could-fall-to-the-taliban-within-90-days-us-intelligence-warns/?sh=640411ed626c">intelligence reports</a>&nbsp;suggested that the western trained Afghan Army may be able to hold up the advancing Taliban forces from taking Kabul for another 90 days, well after the Biden administration’s August 31 deadline to evacuate all U.S. military presence from Afghanistan. On Sunday night, Washington deployed an additional 1,000 U.S. service personnel to support the 5,000 troops already mobilized in Kabul to assist the evacuation of Americans. The sudden exit of Western diplomats and personnel appears to have triggered panic among Afghan nationals, especially those who worked with foreign troops or embassies, who now fear relation from the Taliban. After taking power, the militant group has attempted to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evacuations-taliban-784681c4400b097cf73b93cec34c5c61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">project calm</a>&nbsp;by circulating videos showing quiet city streets. But&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/jaglancy/status/1426878440838508547" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a>&nbsp;of Taliban reprisals against former Afghan government troops have begun to crop up on social media and many Afghans have publicly expressed fear for their lives. With the Taliban controlling all land crossings out of Afghanistan, Kabul airport remains the only way out of the country.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evacuations-taliban-784681c4400b097cf73b93cec34c5c61" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taliban seek to project calm as US speeds chaotic evacuation</a>&nbsp;(Associated Press)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/talibans-rapid-advance-across-afghanistan-2021-08-10/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Afghanistan is peaceful, Taliban say, chaos engulfs airport</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/least-five-killed-kabul-airport-witnesses-2021-08-16/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">At least five killed at Kabul airport &#8211; witnesses</a>&nbsp;(Reuters)



<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/08/15/saigon-fall-kabul-taliban/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The fall of Saigon: As Taliban seizes Kabul, the Vietnam War’s final days remembered</a>&nbsp;(Washington Post)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

Several Deaths Reported At Kabul Airport As Afghans Try To Cling On To Departing U.S. Jet

<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="590" height="393" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SG-Afganistan.2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45096" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SG-Afganistan.2.jpg 590w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SG-Afganistan.2-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px" /><figcaption>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on President Ashraf Ghani during a visit to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul to show solidarity with the Afghan people. Photo UNAMA / Fardin Waezi/June 2017.</figcaption></figure></div>



The world commemorated the 75th Anniversary to mark the end of the 2nd World War also called VE Day on May 08, 2020. 



With her nation, and much of the world still in lockdown, due to COVID 19, England’s Queen marked 75 years since the allied victory in Europe with a poignant televised address. From Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth said, “ the wartime generation knew that the best way to honour those who did not come back from the war, was to ensure that it didn’t happen again”.



But the world is still at war. Proxy wars or localised conflicts are wrecking havoc on human development and humanity in virtually every corner of the world. By the end of 2018, <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2019/6/5d08b6614/global-forced-displacement-tops-70-million.html">wars, violence and persecution have driven record numbers of over 70 million people</a> from their homes worldwide, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. This is the largest ever displacement of humanity, post 2nd World War.



Never has the appeal by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres been more pertinent: “<a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2017/09/repair-world-in-pieces-and-create-world-at-peace-un-chief-guterres-urges-global-leaders/">The world is in pieces; we need world peace</a>.”&nbsp;



The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/29/world/asia/us-taliban-deal.html">United States signed a historic deal with Afghanistan</a> that outlines a timetable and exit plan for American troops, setting the stage for the potential end to nearly 18 years of war in Afghanistan.  The UN Secretary General <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/02/1058371">welcomed the US-Taliban peace agreement</a> on February 29, 2020.  The United States also won the<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059161"> unanimous backing of the UN Security Council</a> to this ambitious peace deal on March 10, 2020.



The implementation of the peace agreement will need leadership, courage and resolve and there will be spoilers who will attempt to upend the peace process. The road to peace will be characterized by violence, set-backs and numerous false starts, but it will need diplomacy, determination and drive to keep the peace process on track. 



Hubris must not prolong the agony of this appalling war. 



The war has cost over $2 trillion and killed more than&nbsp;<a href="https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2018/Human%20Costs%2C%20Nov%208%202018%20CoW.pdf">2,400 American soldiers and&nbsp;</a><a href="https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2018/Human%20Costs,%20Nov%208%202018%20CoW.pdf">38,000</a><a href="https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2018/Human%20Costs%2C%20Nov%208%202018%20CoW.pdf">&nbsp;Afghan civilians</a>. Casualties among Afghan security forces are estimated to have reached around 40,000 between 2007 and 2017.



Wars are appalling. As a combat veteran,&nbsp;<a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20161101105441-eli9d/">I have witnessed first-hand how armed conflicts</a>&nbsp;have transformed some of our finest soldiers into shells of the people I once knew. Combat is savage, it is brutal, it is reckless, it diminishes us as human beings and jeopardizes our humanity.



General William Sherman once said, “It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, and more desolation. War is hell.”



There are no winners in Afghanistan, but let’s consider the consequences on all the women and men who fought in it.



Today, research backs up what soldiers have described for decades, and what was once called shell shock or combat fatigue. We have terms like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), chronic depression, cognitive impairment, and traumatic brain injury to help explain the symptoms suffered by active and returning soldiers.  



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="467" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/US-Army-soldiers-security-duty-province-Paktika-2010.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45062" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/US-Army-soldiers-security-duty-province-Paktika-2010.jpg 700w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/US-Army-soldiers-security-duty-province-Paktika-2010-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/US-Army-soldiers-security-duty-province-Paktika-2010-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption>U.S. Army soldiers on security duty in Paktīkā province, Afghanistan, 2010. Sgt. Derec Pierson/U.S. Department of Defense</figcaption></figure></div>



For a long time, many of the grim statistics about war centred on fatalities and did not include the conflicts’ deep mental wounds. Today we have a better understanding of the kind of moral and psychological toll wars take on soldiers, their families, and communities.



The United States is a leader in the understanding of psychological and emotional damage to soldiers and has taken some steps to address their mental health. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have left between&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp">11% and 20%</a>&nbsp;of military personnel suffering from PTSD. As many as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dav.org/veterans/resources/traumatic-brain-injury-tbi/">375,000 US veterans</a>&nbsp;have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries between 2000 and 2017, mostly caused by explosions.&nbsp;



But suicides in the&nbsp;US armed forces have continued to rise in recent years, reaching&nbsp;<a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/26/military-suicide-rates-hit-record-high-2018.html">record levels in 2018</a>&nbsp;when there were 25 deaths per 100,000 service members. Former defence secretary Leon Panetta once said that the “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/war-wounds.html">epidemic” of military suicide</a>&nbsp;was “one of the most frustrating problems” he had faced.



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/09/world/middleeast/afghanistan-war-cost.html">More than $350 billion has already gone to medical and disability care for veterans</a>&nbsp;of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Experts say that more than half of that spending belongs to the Afghanistan effort.



Homelessness among veterans is pervasive, and soldiers still struggle to access benefits and healthcare if they suffer from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/war-wounds.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=2&amp;">mental health</a>&nbsp;issues rather than from physical wounds. At any given time in the US, more than 40,000 veterans are homeless, constituting around&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Homelessness_in_America._Focus_on_Veterans.pdf">9% of all homeless adults</a>&nbsp;in the country.&nbsp;



In the United Kingdom, spurred by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-veteran-soldiers-afghanistan-suicides-deaths-a9367856.html">a dozen suicides</a>&nbsp;among Afghan war veterans in just two months, the government expedited new mental health programs to help deal with former military members’ PTSD and addiction.&nbsp;



What does this now mean for the Afghan security forces? They and their families do not have the same support structures.



All this ‘hell’, but to what end? Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest sources of refugees and migrants. Since 2004 alone, more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.giz.de/en/ourservices/55909.html">1.8 million Afghans have become internally displaced.</a>&nbsp;Afghanistan’s&nbsp;human development and progress has been set back by decades.&nbsp;Women and children have suffered the most and countless are emotionally and psychologically scarred for life.



While we like to see soldiers as stoic and heroic, we must open our eyes to the fact that wars scar minds as well as bodies, often in ways medical science cannot yet comprehend.



Just like the world is desperately seeking a cure to end the coronavirus pandemic which has killed over 275,000 people so far and leaving a trail of human, economic and social misery, the world too must find a way to end wars, or else we may be defeated as a civilization.



Siddharth Chatterjee, is the United Nations resident coordinator to Kenya. He has served with the UN and the Red Cross Movement in various parts of the world affected by conflicts and humanitarian crisis. He is also a decorated Special Forces veteran and a Princeton University alumnus. Follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@sidchat1</a>



The views expressed in this article are the author&#8217;s own.​​​​​

VE DAY MARKS THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR-BUT THE WORLD IS STILL AT WAR

With an Ebola epidemic raging and millions caught in a forgotten “catastrophe” of conflict and hunger, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the most neglected crisis of 2018, according to an annual Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of aid agencies.



This year’s survey was unusual for the high number of “most forgotten crises”, with experts also listing the Central African Republic, Lake Chad Basin, Yemen, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Burundi, Nigeria and, for the first time, Venezuela.



But Congo’s “mega-crisis” barely made headlines, they said, even as the country gears up for landmark elections on Sunday which some fear could stoke further unrest.



“The brutality of the conflict is shocking, the national and international neglect outrageous,” said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council.



“I visited Congo this year and have seldom witnessed such a gap between needs and assistance.”



Congo, where 13 million people in a population of 82 million need help, also topped the annual Thomson Reuters Foundation poll in 2017, but agencies said the situation had deteriorated.



READ MORE| <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/technology/2018/09/03/blood-diamonds-to-blockchain-diamonds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Blood Diamonds To Blockchain Diamonds? (opens in a new tab)">Blood Diamonds To Blockchain Diamonds?</a>



Six of 21 agencies polled named Congo as the most neglected crisis, including WFP, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, ActionAid, International Rescue Committee, and Christian Aid.



ActionAid’s humanitarian advisor Rachid Boumnijel urged the international community to redouble efforts to end years of conflict characterized by sexual brutality.



“It’s been a catastrophe for the country, and for women and girls particularly,”&nbsp;Boumnijel said.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">EBOLA</h5>



Christian Aid’s head of humanitarian programs Maurice Onyango said the violence had caused “large-scale trauma”, with children witnessing parents and siblings being murdered.



An upsurge of fighting in the east of the mineral-rich country has also exacerbated the spread of the world’s second largest Ebola outbreak, agencies said.



The Central African Republic, where armed groups control much of the country and 60 percent of the population needs assistance, came a close second in the poll.



Listed as the most neglected by OCHA, UNICEF, MercyCorps, Plan International, and Caritas, the country has been racked by violence since mainly Muslim rebels ousted the president in 2013, provoking a backlash from Christian militias.



Armed groups are increasingly targeting schools, hospitals, mosques and churches, while attacks on aid workers have impacted a “chronically underfunded” humanitarian response, they said.



U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said thousands of children had been trapped in armed groups or subjected to sexual violence.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“The crisis is growing increasingly desperate and resources are at breaking point,” added UNICEF emergencies director Manuel Fontaine.</blockquote>



U.N. appeals for both DRC and CAR are less than 50 percent funded.



“Central African Republic is in a death spiral,” said Caritas Secretary General Michel Roy. “While governments and the world’s media have turned their backs, we must not. It’s the only hope CAR has left.”



Plan International said the media neglected complex crises like CAR and DRC because they lacked the shock factor of a sudden disaster like Indonesia’s huge earthquake in September.



<h5 class="wp-block-heading">“MASSIVE FLOOD”</h5>



Yemen, at risk of the world’s worst famine in 100 years, was highlighted by Muslim Hands and World Vision.



“With three quarters of the population needing assistance, I can’t see how Yemen isn’t at the top of everyone’s list,” said World Vision emergencies chief Mark Smith.



South Africa issues arrest warrant for Zimbabwe&#8217;s Grace Mugabe



International Medical Corps warned the disaster in Lake Chad basin, where climate change and a prolonged insurgency by Boko Haram and Islamic State have left 11 million needing help, was also set to worsen next year.



Action Against Hunger said millions caught up in the “almost invisible” crisis &#8211; affecting Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon &#8211; faced poverty, hunger, sexual violence and child kidnapping.



The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s biggest relief network, said hunger and disease following major flooding across Nigeria threatened to create a second protracted crisis in the country.



“I’m shocked by how little attention (this) has received. The figures are staggering,”&nbsp;said IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sy, adding that nearly 2 million people were impacted, more than 200,000 uprooted and swathes of cropland destroyed.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“This massive disaster has gone largely unnoticed by many donors and journalists,” he added.</blockquote>



This year was the first time Venezuela featured in the poll.



About 3.3 million people have fled political turmoil and economic meltdown in the Latin American country &#8211; many driven by hunger or violence &#8211; and another 2 million could follow next year, according to U.N. estimates.



The United Nations has launched a $738 million appeal to help nearby countries cope with what one U.N. official called a “humanitarian earthquake”.



CARE said evidence on the ground suggested the real number fleeing was far higher than the U.N. figure.



“Given its scale, it’s incredible how neglected the situation in Venezuela is,” said CARE humanitarian expert Tom Newby. “The world needs to wake up to this crisis.”



Afghanistan was ranked the most neglected crisis by Islamic Relief Worldwide, and South Sudan by Save the Children. The UNHCR named Burundi while mixed migration was highlighted by the Danish Refugee Council. -Reuters



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Emma Batha </li></ul>

RC1EAA1BC400

Ravaged by Ebola and War, Congo Named Most Neglected Crisis of 2018

You may not recognize her name, but you’ll know her photographs. Jodi Bieber won the prestigious World Press Photo of the Year, in 2010, for the photograph of a violated young woman in a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The picture captured the 19-year-old Bibi Aisha who was dragged by her angry in-laws to a mountain where her Taliban soldier husband cut off her nose and ears. She was left for dead as punishment for running from her marriage to escape years of abuse. Aisha survived and ended up in the refugee camp where Bieber found her in 2010.
“It took the photograph in a very plain room. When I created the picture I asked Bibi through an interpreter to close her eyes and think about her inner beauty and her inner power and look at me. She did that and I took the photo. That’s the photograph they used. But I was very worried because I took her very empowered photograph. I thought I had failed because TIME would want something more vulnerable. TIME said it was the most iconic photograph they had seen. And it went on to win the award,” says Bieber.
Bieber cut her teeth in the dangerous days leading up to South Africa’s first democratic elections on April 27, 1994. As a rookie photographer, she was sent to Ulundi, in KwaZulu–Natal, a warzone for the African National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party.
“I definitely knew I was not the war photographer because we witnessed quite a few violent situations in Ulundi. At one time we slept on the floor of our hotel, we thought we might be assassinated,” says Bieber, the then freelance photographer at The Star, in Johannesburg.
Bieber was born in 1966, in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. She grew up in a segregated South Africa and went to all-white schools. The system fostered rebellion in her soul.
“I don’t think art was embraced when I was growing up but I used to question things. I had a history teacher, who I am friends with now. He opened our eyes to what was happening in South Africa at the time. Remember, 1976 was when we first got television. It was a completely different time, but I remember seeing those yellow nyalas (a military vehicle), I knew something was not right in our society. So, I was very rebellious at high school. I had an opinion and I had voice, I was not just following the crowd,” she says.
“All my work deals with issues relating to broader society and a lot of it challenges the stereotypes that exist in the media,” says Bieber.
For two decades Bieber’s work changed lives around the world and she vows to document the injustices – her camera and her soul agree.

The soul behind the camera who captured inner beauty and power

Bigotry and prejudice rooted in sexism and Islamophobia were common subtexts in much of the reporting on the siege of Nairobi’s Westgate Mall in Kenya over the past few weeks. This was, of course, fueled by the alleged involvement of the so-called ‘White Widow’ in the brazen attack, which claimed several lives. Samantha Lewthwaite is a British national, who happens to be white and Muslim.
The reportage highlighted how women in general and Muslim women in particular are depicted when they are active in political causes, some of which are characterized by violence.
The fact that no conclusive evidence has been found to link Lewthwaite to the attack did not stop the media, especially the English tabloids, from framing women and Muslims in classic stereotypical terms. The Guardian’s Jamie Gilham explains:
“On Monday morning the front pages of the tabloids condemned ‘evil’ and ‘fanatical’ Samantha Lewthwaite, aka the White Widow, as the Nairobi ‘bloodbath mastermind’. The precise nature of the tragic events in Nairobi are still unfolding and, when the tabloids went to press on Sunday night, little was known about Lewthwaite’s alleged involvement in the Nairobi attack. A few days on, we still don’t know much, and the evidence against Lewthwaite is scant and contradictory. Nevertheless, the Muslim convert and widow of 7/7 attacker Germaine Lindsay has become the symbol of home-grown terrorism, a target of fear and loathing.”
Gilham goes on to say that for the tabloids, Lewthwaite’s transgressions are plentiful: she converted to Islam, took the veil and a Muslim name (Sherafiyah), married a black and notoriously radical convert, and is the mother of mixed-race children. And while it is not the first time a British citizen has converted to Islam, Lewthwaite’s case signified something else. It reveals that, by converting to Islam, women disturb conventions about ethnicity, gender and religion, Gilham argues.
Na’eem Jeenah, the director of the Afro-Middle East Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, concurs.
“If this was an anarchist organization, for example, and the leader was a woman widow, then I think the treatment would have been different. But because it is a Muslim organization, there is already this kind of sense that women in Muslim organizations and Muslim societies don’t play prominent roles. So this (Lewthwaite’s alleged leadership of the group that staged the Westgate Mall attack) is already unusual, an oddity.”
Jeenah says her race is also a key issue; for some Britons, Lewthwaite’s actions mean she has crossed over to “the dark side”. “In the case of Samantha, there is an extra exoticization… From the Western media’s sense, this is a very strange phenomenon because she is a woman, but more so because she is white,” he argues.
Men’s political choices are hardly ever questioned. Conversely, women face all kinds of scrutiny when they become active in organizations, especially those with an Islamist bent, such as al-Shabaab. More so because the conventional view of Islam is that it relegates women to the margins, as if they have little or no agency.
Ironically, Lewthwaite’s alleged involvement as the possible mastermind of the Nairobi attack debunks the myth that Islam treats women as second-class citizens.
Throughout history, women have played a role in politics, even in the so-called Muslim world. In fact, very few countries that have had women heads of state are from the West. Margaret Thatcher of Britain, Germany’s Angela Merkel and Australia’s Julia Gillard are among the few who have reached the top of the political game. Compare that with developing countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, India, Malawi, Liberia and Chile – all of which have had women heads of state – two of whom are Muslim.
The fact that the developing world, which includes countries with massive Muslim populations, has had women ascend to the pinnacle of political power proves that conventional views of the role and position of women in these societies are far more complex and fluid than mainstream Western media portrays them.
In the West, Muslim women are cast as people who stay at home, are given household chores to do and are oppressed in their domestic confinement. When women operate outside of that mold, it messes with the stereotype that casts all lslamist groups as
inherently misogynist and anti-women. Jeenah says Lewthwaite’s alleged leadership of the group responsible for the carnage in Nairobi blows the Western media’s view of women in Islam out of the water.
“She is going further. Not only is she involved in politics, she is taking up arms, planning the attacks and leading the group. Her alleged role simply doesn’t square with the stereotypes – firstly of Muslims and secondly of Islamist organizations.”
History also questions the media-fed formula that women under Islam are subservient. From the fight for the liberation of Palestine to the anti-colonial war in Algeria and the struggle for equality in South Africa, women have played a role.
In fact, women have led some of the most audacious attacks against their enemies. The bitter war of independence in Algeria is one example. According to Danièle Djamila Amrane-Minne and Farida Abu-Haidar of the Muse Project, Algerian women had joined the struggle for independence from the get-go. Their research shows that there were 10,949 fighting women, representing 3.1% of all those taking part in active combat during the war of liberation. This percentage, which may seem negligible, is approximately the same as the percentage of European women who took part in World War II. Algerian women who joined the struggle were not merely sympathizers or militants on a short-term basis, but proper fighters and members of the National Liberation Army or the National Liberation Front Civil Organization.
The daring 1969 highjacking of a Boeing 707 by Palestinian Leila Khaled ensured a visual image of a woman as a courageous fighter for the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. Another example is Fatima Meer’s leading role in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. These are merely some examples of how women in Muslim settings have broken the mold that portrays women as inferior or lacking in agency.
Granted, there are some Muslim states, such as Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, where women are actively prevented from living full lives. In the oil-rich desert state, Saudi women are not even allowed to drive. In Afghanistan, girls’ and women’s lives are threatened if they try to get an education. And while myths about the living conditions of all Muslim women is often false, they are fueled by the actions of states that claim to follow Islam when they oppress and sub- jugate women.
Jeenah concedes: “the thing about stereotypes is not that they are not true, but that they are not for most of the time”. Certain Muslim societies fuel stereotypes about the role of women in Islam – Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan are cases in point.
Jeenah also points out that the position of women in Iran is often misunderstood. He says even if they are compelled to wear a headscarf, Iranian women are much more assertive than women in the rest of the Muslim world, and even in much of the Western world.
“If you look at the Muslim world, the biggest Muslim community is in Indonesia, second-biggest is India, the third in Pakistan… If you look at the manner in which women play their roles in all of these bigger communities, and even in the Arab world, where the biggest Muslim community is Egypt, in the broader Middle East, Iran and Turkey, women play a much more assertive role.”
The irony of the media’s stereo-typing of women in general and Muslim women in particular, is that the very stories meant to reinforce the negative framing of women as disempowered, often debunk that narrative. In reality, Muslim women, as in the case of Samantha Lewthwaite, are anything but subservient.

Tag: Afghanistan

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