KANDAHAR, 30 July 2015 – Greater protection of women from violence and legal action against perpetrators of violence should be among the key benefits of Afghanistan’s Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law, according to panelists at a UN-backed event in Kandahar.

The Institute of War and Peace Reporting and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) brought together male participants from civil society, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the judiciary as part of ongoing efforts to promote women’s rights.

The panelists asked the audience of 25, mainly university students, to continue the discussion after the event with their friends and classmates.

The event focused on issues related to Afghanistan’s 2009 EVAW law which criminalizes 22 acts of violence against women, including child and forced marriages, rape and beating, and specifies punishment for perpetrators.

Mr. Neamathullah Nalan, one of the panelists, said that women in Afghanistan face scores of challenges, including torture, intimidation, harassment, forced marriages and marriages at a very young age.

Cases of violence are commonplace in Kandahar and other areas of the country, with hundreds of cases of violence against women believed unregistered because of victims’ fear of retribution. Many people may be unaware of their legal obligations or bound by traditional and cultural practices.

Panelists stressed that civil society organizations, women’s rights groups, Mullah Imams, intellectuals and educated people have a duty to raise awareness about the EVAW law and to remove a misconception that it is against Islam.

Mr. Muzafar Ghorzang, a Judge at the City Court of Kandahar, said that the law itself is not against Islam or Afghan civil law and it is drafted for people’s welfare.

The Government of Afghanistan gave legislative effect to its constitutional commitment to ensure gender equality through enactment of the EVAW law in August 2009.

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Thursday 8/6/2015 - 07:05 GMT

by Hashim SAFI

Six people were killed Thursday when a Taliban suicide truck bomber struck a police compound in Afghanistan, in the first major insurgent attack since the announcement of leader Mullah Omar's death.

The attack in Pul-i-Alam, the capital of insurgency-prone Logar province just south of Kabul, highlights growing insecurity as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

The bombing coincides with a faltering peace process, with the Taliban confronted by an increasingly bitter power transition after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was announced as the new leader last Friday.

"A water truck filled with explosives was detonated when it was stopped at the gate of the Quick Reaction Force (police) compound," said deputy provincial police chief Mohammad Qari Wara.

"It was a powerful explosion... which killed three members of the Quick Reaction Force and three civilians."

Baheer, an official from the provincial governor's office, confirmed the death toll, adding that eight civilians, including a child, were wounded.

The force of the explosion damaged government buildings near the site, which was littered with debris and shards of broken glass.

The Afghan interior ministry said Thursday's bombing was the first suicide attack since the Taliban confirmed last week the death of their leader Mullah Omar, who led the militant movement for some 20 years.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claiming that a "Mazda truck packed with heavy explosives... killed more than 100 security personnel".

Taliban insurgents routinely exaggerate the death toll in attacks on Afghan government and military targets.

But in a rare admission, Mujahid said "some civilians may have been wounded as a result of broken glass".

The Taliban do not usually claim responsibility for attacks which result in a large number of civilian casualties.

• Record civilian casualties -

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit a record high in the first half of 2015, a UN report said Wednesday, as Afghan forces struggle to contain the expanding conflict six months after the NATO combat mission ended.

The report said 1,592 civilians were killed, a six percent fall from last year, but the number of injured jumped four percent to 3,329. The casualties have reached their highest level since the UN began issuing its authoritative reports in 2009.

The statistics are a grim indicator of rising violence as the Taliban insurgency spreads north from its traditional southern and eastern strongholds, with Afghan forces increasingly battling the militants on their own.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December, but a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

The Taliban face growing internal divisions after Mullah Mansour's appointment was announced.

An acrimonious power struggle has broken out, casting a pall over a fragile peace process aimed at ending Afghanistan's long war.

The Taliban distanced themselves from the second round of talks with the Afghan government that were scheduled for last Friday but were cancelled after the announcement of Omar's death.

hs-ac/pdw/tm

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

• This week the emergency committee of the International Health Regulations (IHR) is meeting for the sixth time to assess whether the international spread of polio continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

• Despite the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, a humanitarian pause enabled 50,000 children to be reached with the oral polio vaccine during the final week of Ramadan. Read more

Tehran, August 6, IRNA - The people of Japan has contributed 2,983,722 million dollars to UNHCR-Iran within the framework of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), a regional, multi-year strategy, supporting voluntary repatriation, sustainable reintegration and assistance to host countries. Japan donates $2.9 million to Afghan refugees in Iran

This donation will directly impact UNHCR and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s efforts to ensure that refugees have the education and skills, and are in good health, in order to earn a living upon their voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan, while also enabling them to contribute to society during their stay in Iran, according to a UNHCR-Tehran press release.

In education, the Japanese funding will assist UNHCR in continuing its support to the Government in the construction of schools in provinces with a high number of refugee students to ensure greater access to quality primary education.

The generosity of the People of Japan will also support technical and vocational training programmes the UNHCR conducts with the Technical and Vocational Training Organization and the World Relief Foundation to enhance self-reliance and livelihood opportunities for refugees. This will empower them with the necessary knowledge to provide a source of income for their families in Iran and upon return to Afghanistan.

The contribution will complement the Ministry of Health’s primary health care services to refugees including vaccinations, antenatal care, maternal and child health, and family planning. Also in collaboration with State Welfare Organization, UNHCR assists refugees in receiving timely treatment and rehabilitation assistance in settlements and urban areas.

“We are glad to be able to continue to support the activities of UNHCR Iran in the areas of voluntary repatriation, livelihoods, education and health care. We hope our contribution will help enhance the human security of Afghan refugees in Iran,” said the Japanese Ambassador to Iran, Koji Haneda. UNHCR’s Representative in Iran, Sivanka Dhanapala, added that, “We greatly appreciate the humanitarian commitment of the People of Japan in supporting and protecting Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is important that in spite of escalating crises in other parts of the world and the global economic turmoil, that Japan stands committed to supporting solutions for Afghan refugees.”

For more than 30 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has hosted and supported one of the largest urban refugee populations in the world, and presently hosts almost a million Afghan refugees who left their home due to generalized violence and war.

**1377

Remarks
Dan Feldman
Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
United States Institute of Peace
Washington, DC
August 5, 2015

Thanks Nancy. I’m delighted to be at USIP to give my valedictory address as the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, or, as we term it, “SRAP.” I visited the region this past week to pay my farewell calls, and look forward to comparing notes here with Steve and Andrew given their own extremely recent travels, and appreciate their flexibility on the timing of this event. The relationship with USIP has been a special and even familial one, and a model for the way in which experts and policy makers can shape each other’s thinking in a collaborative manner. Thank you for that.

I started working on Afghanistan and Pakistan six years ago when Richard Holbrooke offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the inception of the SRAP office to serve as his deputy, and ultimately became Special Representative myself a year ago. Now that I’m transitioning back to the private sector, I wanted to reflect on the successes that have been achieved while also acknowledging the many challenges that remain.

I was incredulous recently when in the midst of testifying to Congress, my deputy was asked derisively, “What has diplomacy actually achieved in Afghanistan?” That demonstrated for me the need to highlight the fragile but significant developments in the region that have been fostered and sustained due primarily to assiduous diplomatic efforts.

• It was diplomacy that facilitated and nurtured the Afghan effort to create a government of national unity;

• It was diplomacy that has put our bilateral relationship with Pakistan on firmer footing now than at any point in this Administration;

• It was diplomacy that opened an historic opportunity for Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together toward a common interest in peace;

• It was diplomacy that has supported Afghan determination to fundamentally change the role of women in society;

• It was diplomacy that secured the international political and financial support the Government and security forces of Afghanistan need;

• And it can only be through sustained diplomacy with the international community and especially the countries of the region that the opportunity for success in Afghanistan will be preserved.

These types of diplomatic openings don’t just spontaneously generate. I am extremely proud to have been a charter member of SRAP – this innovative and entrepreneurial team, created by the vision of Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Holbrooke, and sustained by Secretary Kerry’s own commitment to this office, this region, and to the power of diplomacy. Due to its achievements, I believe SRAP will serve as a whole-of-government prototype for how government can more nimbly respond to complex crises in the future. And every day, this dedicated team, many of whom are here today, has honored Richard Holbrooke’s memory by seeking to fulfill his definition of diplomacy -- minimizing conflict, saving lives, and achieving results.

Afghanistan

You all know the list of momentous achievements in Afghanistan: access to education, improving the role of women and girls, health and longevity, independent media, infrastructure, and GDP growth. Afghanistan is simply not the country it was when the Taliban ruled.

Political stability in Afghanistan is the lynchpin of Afghan security. Just one year ago, the prospects for stable leadership after the electoral impasse seemed remote, and the unpalatable options included an extension of President Karzai’s term and threats of a “parallel government.” After an Afghan request for his intervention, Secretary Kerry made two visits to Kabul last July and August, when he famously brokered the political compromise that resulted in the unity government. After achieving agreement on the parameters of that framework, I was left behind in Kabul to lead the mediation and hammer out, over six or seven weeks, a political agreement between now-President Ghani and now-CEO Abdullah to form a unity government, becoming the first democratic transition of power in Afghanistan’s history.

Coalition governments, even in the most mature democracies, grapple mightily with implementation, and Afghanistan is no different. But President Ghani’s government has made progress in a range of key areas over the past year, from appointments and anti-corruption initiatives to the recent establishment of the Special Electoral Reform Commission, which was especially fulfilling for me to meet with last week.

For this unity government to achieve its promises of reform, it must operate in a more inclusive manner. This includes empowering Ministries and provincial governors to assume much of the work, and engaging more comprehensively with the full range of Afghan stakeholders – the Parliament, civil society, opinion leaders, domestic media, and ultimately the Afghan people. Those who feel excluded from the government pave the way for spoilers to attract the disaffected and create unnecessary instability.

That is why I urge my colleagues in the Afghan government to seize this last, best opportunity to demonstrate that this government is both durable and functional, and can translate the rhetoric of policy vision into tangible policy implementation that will benefit the daily lives of all Afghans. And my message to those outside of government is – support the unity government and ensure it’s on the path to success. This is the legitimate government, reflective of the millions of votes cast, that the international community will continue to support. Afghans don’t deserve any alternative that weakens rather than strengthens the fabric of their society.

Political stability will optimize success in the ongoing efforts to address other related challenges. The economic climate must weather the shock of the drawdown of international resources. And the security challenges throughout the country are severe, as the Taliban has launched a violent onslaught, killing many civilians and inflicting significant casualties. We always anticipated this would be a difficult fighting season and pose a real challenge to the Afghan security forces, but they have held their own. While the Taliban has made temporary gains, the ANSF has retaken lost territory, and the Taliban have not seriously challenged any major urban center or provincial capital. The ANSF has proven it was ready for the lead security responsibility transferred to it from NATO last year, and we will continue to support the ANSF as it builds the skills and resources it needs to match its undoubted courage and commitment.

One final word on the progress we have seen in Afghanistan. We and our allies should be proud of the role that our assistance has played – including that administered through our unprecedented “civilian surge.” Development will always be difficult work, and there will at times be accurate reports of waste given the challenges faced by one of the world’s poorest, most conflict-affected, and least institutionalized countries. And to be clear, anyone – American or Afghan, government employee or contractor – who illegally benefits from assistance funds must be held accountable. But despite the easy allure of “gotcha” reporting on assistance delivery, we must continue to assess the overall impact of our efforts, and not just focus on the easiest, mechanical accounting of project execution. We must redouble our efforts to provide accountability to the extent feasible, but not fundamentally chill initiatives that are critical to achieving our core security interests – degrading Al Qaeda and its affiliates, and ensuring Afghanistan does not once again become a safe haven for terrorists who can threaten international security. These are hard goals and important ones, and there will be failures as we try to find the right mix of initiatives to achieve them. But that risk of failure is one worth taking.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, too, diplomats have been at the front lines of protecting our national interests. Diplomacy has brought our bilateral relationship from a tumultuous nadir several years ago to its current strengthened and stable position, based on a more honest and realistic set of expectations.

The principal vehicle for this recovery has been our Strategic Dialogue, where we have honed in on key areas of strategic alignment to deliver results, including countering terrorism, addressing nuclear concerns, and promoting stability through economic reforms and trade, energy initiatives, and educational opportunities.

This evolving dynamic has produced some notable progress, particularly in targeting Al Qaeda leadership and countering the threat posed by IEDs. There is a renewed effort by the Pakistani leadership to bring greater security throughout the country, as demonstrated by the ambitious undertaking of the North Waziristan operation just a year ago, and which has been further accelerated in the aftermath of the Peshawar massacre last December.

Our assistance has been of great value under Kerry Lugar Berman, which has rebalanced our assistance portfolio in favor of civilian assistance, from the previously disproportionate reliance on security assistance,. In particular, our ability to better brand key “high visibility, high impact signature projects” in energy, economic growth, infrastructure development, and higher education contributed to improved perceptions of the U.S. High-level economic visits, including by Commerce Secretary Pritzker earlier this year, showcase the potential of the economic relationship, which can be unlocked if Pakistan continues progress on its reform agenda.

Yet despite this progress, as with other complex – yet crucial – relationships, the U.S.-Pakistan one still faces challenges, though ones we now discuss in a transparent manner befitting real partners. We continue to have concerns about Pakistan’s history of using proxies against perceived foes in the region. Although we’ve seen concrete actions by Pakistan to more clearly establish the writ of sovereignty, the military and civilian leadership must make good on their commitments not to differentiate between terrorist groups. Just as they have vigorously pursued the Pakistani Taliban, they must take equally forceful actions against groups like the Haqqani Network, which pose serious threats to American (and Afghan) lives and resources, and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which has the potential to destabilize the region.

Let me also say a word about Pakistan’s democracy. I’ve heard many allege that the U.S. is ambivalent about democracy in Pakistan – but that could not be further from the truth. We realize that the process of strengthening and embedding democratic rule will be gradual – but it is critical to Pakistan’s future, and I know this is also understood by both Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership. It has been almost eight years since democracy was reinstated in Pakistan, and two and a half years since the country’s own first historic transition of power, and there continue to be challenges. Just a year ago, the Sharif government was beset by protests that fed rumors of a coup, but today, it appears that civilian and military leadership have come to an important modus vivendi, as preserving the centrality of civilian led, democratic institutions, is critical to Pakistan’s future.

AfPak / Reconciliation

Diplomacy is also giving new life to the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. President Ghani deserves great credit for courageously opening the opportunity for rapprochement with Pakistan, and particularly in such a deliberate and strategic manner.

We similarly appreciate Pakistan’s efforts to further an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation process, as the U.S. has long maintained that it is just such a process, which we strongly support without pre-conditions, is the surest way to end violence and achieve lasting stability in Afghanistan and the region.

It is clear that there can be no long-term stability in Afghanistan without Pakistan’s support and Pakistan has taken unprecedented actions this year to facilitate a discussion between the Afghan government and the Taliban, resulting in the Murree meeting on July 7th, the first time that senior Taliban representatives openly and with permission from their leadership met with an official and representative Afghan government delegation.

Needless to say, the news of Mullah Omar’s death last week has complicated this picture. But I believe it may be an important opportunity. The Taliban think of themselves as a movement that emerged to end a civil war. Now they have to decide whether to continue to fight, or to finally end the violence that has stunted Afghanistan’s development, and become part of the legitimate political system of a sovereign, united Afghanistan.

Region

Concerted American diplomacy has also resulted in the sustained engagement of the international community, and particularly the key nations of the region. Since the beginning of this Administration, one important mechanism for coordination has been the International Contact Group we launched, comprised of the SRAPs from over 50 countries, including more than one-third from Muslim-majority countries.

I’m especially optimistic that regional powers have increasingly come to see that supporting a stable Afghanistan, free of terrorism, is in their interests. There has been a marked and productive change in the posture of countries in the region over the past six years. As one example, we welcome China’s engagement in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which we see not as competitive but complementary to our own efforts. In 2009, on my first official trip to engage the Chinese, my colleagues in Beijing refused to even have the words “Afghanistan” or “Pakistan” on our agenda. Today we have embarked on a series of collaborative development projects in Afghanistan and convened a trilateral U.S.-China-Afghanistan discussion, both firsts of their kind with the Chinese.

Our efforts to spur broader regional integration include both diplomatic endeavors to convene key neighbors, such as through the Heart of Asia process, and economic initiatives, such as energy connectivity between countries via the CASA-1000 project, or fully implementing the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement.

Closing

Our interest in stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan is no less acute than it was 14 years ago. The achievements that have been made in Afghanistan and Pakistan have come at the cost of an immense investment in blood and treasure by not just the U.S., but by our coalition partners, and most of all, by Afghans and Pakistanis. Those investments can be redeemed and our interests secured only by continued diplomacy. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from some of America’s finest and most storied diplomats and to myself carry that baton for a year, working with what remains, as Holbrooke frequently touted, the best and most dedicated team I’ve ever seen. I will watch with passionate interest as they continue this critical work.

Tehran, 2 August 2015 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices in Iran signed a Letter of Understanding on Sunday, 2nd August 2015 to cooperate on a number of areas namely Child Protection, Education, Health and Nutrition as well as emergency preparedness, to assist Afghan refugees in Iran.

The Letter of Understanding is valid from August 2015 to December 2016 and was jointly signed by UNHCR Representative in Iran, Mr. Sivanka Dhanapala and UNICEF Representative in Iran, Dr. Ezio Gianni Murzi in UNHCR office in Tehran.

UNHCR Iran works with the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) of the Ministry of Interior, other line ministries and a number of local and international NGOs to ensure that all the registered refugees are aware of and have access to basic services as part of the national programmes. UNHCR activities for Afghan refugees in Iran are guided by the Solution Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), a regional, multi-year strategy initiated in 2012 between the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan and UNHCR to support voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration while also supporting host countries to assist refugees. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been at the forefront of the SSAR, and was the first country to operationalize the Strategy which includes a focus on livelihood, education, health and voluntary repatriation.

Under the current joint country programme of cooperation 2012-2016, UNICEF Iran office works with BAFIA to increase the access of Afghan children to basic education and other inclusive social services in Iran. UNICEF and BAFIA also support civil society and non-governmental organizations to provide Afghan children and adolescents with basic education services and protect them from maltreatment and abuse.

UNHCR and UNICEF have a long history of effective and demonstrated collaboration in international humanitarian programmes. The current partnership is in line with the initial global Memorandum of Understanding dated 14 March 1996 between UNHCR and UNICEF which was conceived as a means to promote coordinated action in areas of interest in assisting the refugee population.

The Islamic Republic of Iran hosts one of the largest and protracted refugee populations in the world who have been in the country for now more than 30 years and continues to generously provide them with services related to education, health and livelihood. According to Amayesh IX refugee registration exercise, there are 979,410 refugees in Iran (951,142 Afghan and 28,268 Iraqi refugees) out of which 97% reside in the urban settings and only less than 3% reside in settlements.

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Friday 8/7/2015 - 00:50 GMT

by Usman SHARIFI

A powerful truck bomb in Kabul early Friday killed at least seven people and wounded more than 100 others, officials said, the first major attack in the Afghan capital since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the post-midnight attack, which comes as the Taliban step up their summer offensive despite a bitter power transition within the militant movement.

Women and children were among the casualties of the powerful blast which struck an east Kabul neighbourhood but rattled homes across the city, damaging buildings and shattering windows.

"Seven people were killed and 198 wounded people were brought to hospitals," said health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar.

"The casualty toll is expected to rise."

Kabul police chief General Abdul Rahman Rahimi gave a higher death toll of eight, adding that 128 others were wounded and officials were looking to recover anyone trapped under debris of damaged concrete structures.

"A truck packed with explosives was detonated in the crowded residential neighbourhood of Shah Shaheed (in east Kabul). Several houses in the area are badly damaged," he said.

"The killed and wounded include women and children and labourers of a nearby marble stone company are among the victims. The attack was intended to cause mass murder."

It was not clear whether the real target was an Afghan National Army base close to Shah Shaheed, but Rahimi said no military casualties were reported.

The wounded including children were trickling into city hospitals, Mayar said, with reports emerging of blood shortages in hospitals and urgent appeals for donors circulating on social media.

The carnage comes a day after Taliban insurgents killed nine people in multiple attacks on police targets in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

The attacks highlight growing insecurity amid a faltering peace process with the Taliban as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

• Surging civilian casualties -

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit a record high in the first half of 2015, a UN report said Wednesday, as Afghan forces struggle to contain the expanding conflict seven months after the NATO combat mission ended.

The report said 1,592 civilians were killed, a six percent fall from last year, but the number of injured jumped four percent to 3,329. Overall, casualties reached their highest level since the UN began issuing its authoritative reports in 2009.

The statistics are a grim indicator of the rising violence as the Taliban insurgency spreads north from its traditional southern and eastern strongholds, with Afghan forces increasingly battling the militants on their own.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December, but a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

The Taliban face growing internal divisions after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was announced as the new head of the insurgent movement on Friday, following their confirmation of the death of Mullah Omar who led the militant movement for some 20 years.

An increasingly bitter power struggle has broken out, casting a pall over a fragile peace process aimed at ending Afghanistan's long war.

The Taliban distanced themselves from the second round of talks that were scheduled for last Friday but were cancelled after the announcement of Omar's death.

The powerful army chief of Pakistan, the Taliban's historic sponsors, said this week that ongoing efforts at talks are the "only credible way" to achieve lasting peace in the region.

us-ac/mtp

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Heavy rainfall forecast for flood-affected areas of West Africa

Africa Weather Hazards

1. A slightly delayed start to the season has resulted in abnormal dryness for Gambia and central areas of Senegal. Dry ground conditions have reportedly led to delayed planting and have negatively impacted the health of livestock.

2. Heavy downpours have caused flooding and fatalities in Conakry, Guinea during the past week. Torrential rain is forecast to continue during the next week, which could worsen conditions on the grounds.

3. In bimodal regions of southern Ghana, Togo, and Benin, the early end of rainfall has led to increased moisture deficits. A delayed onset of the rainy season, followed by poorly-distributed rainfall, has led to abnormal dryness across western and north-central Nigeria.

4. Infrequent and light rains since the beginning of the season have led to insufficient rainfall accumulations for southern portions of Chad, including the Batha, Biltine, and Ouaddai regions. Rainfall levels between 25-50% of normal has led to decreased soil moisture and poor vegetation conditions.

5. A delayed onset and lack of rainfall has resulted in abnormal dryness across parts of central and eastern Sudan, western Eritrea, and northwestern Ethiopia. The most impacted states in Sudan are Gadaref, Sennar, and Blue Nile, including important agricultural regions where much planting is being delayed. In Ethiopia, a delay in substantial rainfall is already negatively impacting vegetation over the eastern Amhara Province.

GENEVA, Aug 7 (UNHCR)– Some 124,000 refugees and migrants had arrived in Greece by sea at the end of July this year – a staggering 750 per cent increase on the same period in 2014, the UN refugee agency detailed on Friday.

UNHCR said that in July alone 50,000 new arrivals were reported, 20,000 more than the previous month -- an increase of almost 70 per cent -- mainly to the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros.

"This humanitarian emergency is happening in Europe, and requires an urgent Greek and European response," Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR's Director of the Bureau for Europe, said in a statement following a visit to Greece last week with the Director of Emergency, Security and Supply to assess the refugee crisis in the country.

Cochetel said the "vast majority" of those coming to Greece are from countries experiencing conflict or human rights violations, mainly Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

While Syrians make up 63 per cent of all arrivals since the beginning of the year, the percentage of Syrian arrivals increased in July to 70 per cent.

Many are in need of urgent medical assistance, water, food, shelter and information. All are exhausted. The reception infrastructure, services and registration procedures are falling far short of real needs.

"Such a level of suffering should and can be avoided. The Greek authorities need to urgently designate a single body to coordinate response and set up an adequate humanitarian assistance mechanism," Cochetel added.

UNHCR is contributing to the efforts to address this urgent situation. This includes interpretation services, providing legal information, and basic emergency assistance.

As a contribution and to complement the action of many volunteers and national and international NGOs, UNHCR is delivering basic humanitarian assistance, like water bottles, energy bars, sleeping bags and hygiene kits.

The generous response of Greek civil society, in a difficult context, should be recognized and supported.

UNHCR is also providing, with the assistance of the Greek NGO METAction, escorts for the transfer of unaccompanied children from the islands to specialized facilities on the mainland. In Lesvos, the island with the largest number of arrivals, UNHCR is providing three buses to transport refugees from their arrival points to the registration point in Mytilene, so they no longer face a walk of 70km through the mountains in searing temperatures.

However, the support UNHCR is providing is targeted and time-limited as worldwide the agency is confronted with many crises and its programmes are woefully underfunded.

The challenges do not end with the transfer of refugees from the islands to Athens and more efforts are needed to ease access to the asylum procedure; only 6,200 have applied for asylum as of end of June.

There is also an urgent need to increase reception capacity on the mainland for asylum-seekers and unaccompanied children (currently 1,100 places). In Athens, around 400-450 people – mainly families with young children – have been sleeping rough in the central park of Pedion Tou Areos. The government is in the process of setting up a new reception centre with better facilities to meet the growing humanitarian needs and UNHCR is assisting with technical support.

"Greece and Europe need to lead the response to this crisis, which can be resolved only through more solidarity within and outside the EU and increased alternative means to reach Europe for refugees fleeing from violence," added Cochetel.

So far in 2015, over 225,000 refugees and migrants have arrived by sea in the Mediterranean and around 2,100 are estimated to have died or gone missing while trying to reach Europe – not including the incident that took place on August 5.

By William Spindler, Geneva

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Friday 8/7/2015 - 21:10 GMT

by Hashim SAFI

Multiple bombings rocked Kabul Friday, killing at least 35 people and wounding hundreds more in the first major attacks in the Afghan capital since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death.

The explosions, which devastated buildings and overwhelmed hospitals with casualties, mark the deadliest day in Kabul since the end of the NATO combat mission in December.

In the first attack, a powerful truck bomb tore through the centre of Kabul just after midnight on Friday, killing 15 civilians and wounding 240 others.

Less than 24 hours later, at least 20 Afghan cadets were killed when a suicide attacker dressed in police uniform blew himself up at the entrance of Kabul Police Academy.

The Taliban distanced themselves from the first bombing that struck near a Kabul military base -- as they usually do in attacks that result in a large number of civilian casualties.

But the insurgents were quick to claim responsibility for the second attack, which marks a serious breach of security at a premier training institute for Afghan security forces.

Explosions and gunfire also erupted close to the airport on Friday evening, apparently targeting an area near foreign coalition bases, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Military jets were heard flying over the centre of Kabul shortly after the explosions.

The carnage underscores the volatile security situation in Afghanistan amid a faltering peace process with the Taliban as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

Friday's bombings are the first major attacks after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was last week named as the new Taliban chief in an acrimonious power transition after the insurgents confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.

Observers say the escalating violence demonstrates Mullah Mansour's attempt to boost his image among Taliban cadres and drive attention away from internal divisions over his leadership.

"The new wave of attacks is a tactic by the Taliban's new leadership to show they are capable, potent and operational," said security analyst Abdul Hadi Khaled.

"The demise of Mullah Omar divided the movement and affected the moral of their ground fighters. Hitting Kabul with a wave of powerful attacks is a way of showcasing their strength."

- Fatal academy bombing -

On Friday evening, a suicide attacker dressed in police uniform blew himself up at the entrance of Kabul Police Academy, killing at least 20 Afghan cadets who were returning after their two-day weekend.

The bomber managed to place himself in a queue as police trainees were waiting to be searched before entering the academy, said a senior Afghan intelligence official, requesting anonymity.

"The attacker was wearing police uniform... when he detonated his explosives, 20 cadets were killed and 20 more were wounded," the official told AFP.

Anguished relatives of cadets gathered near the academy, which was cordoned off by heavily-armed security officials as ambulances with wailing sirens rushed to the scene.

Another police official confirmed that toll while a third senior security source told AFP that 25 cadets were killed.

The academy in west Kabul is a premier training institution for police forces in Afghanistan, with between 2,000 and 3,000 cadets graduating every year.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban -- who were toppled from power in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan -- told AFP the insurgent group was behind the attack.

- Less than 24 hours earlier -

Earlier Friday, a truck packed with explosives detonated near an army base in the neighbourhood of Shah Shaheed, rattling homes across the city, ripping off the facades of buildings and leaving scattered piles of rubble.

The force of the explosion just after midnight created an enormous crater in the road, around 10 metres (30 feet) deep, and destroyed the boundary wall of the base, although no military casualties were reported.

"The death toll from the attack... has risen to 15," deputy presidential spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi told AFP, adding that "240 people have been wounded -- including women and children".

The health ministry said the number of wounded could run even higher, with most suffering injuries from flying glass.

Kabul Police Chief General Abdul Rahman Rahimi said officials were searching for anyone trapped under the mangled concrete debris.

Soldiers erected a security cordon around the military base close to Shah Shaheed, a largely middle-class civilian residential area with no major foreign presence.

The wounded were overwhelming city hospitals, officials said, with reports emerging of blood shortages and urgent appeals for donors circulating on social media.

us-hs-ac/eb

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Overdue polls cannot take place until changes are made in the voting system.

Afghanistan needs international help to fund and implement reforms to facilitate its long-delayed parliamentary elections, according to speakers at recent IWPR debates.

The Afghan constitution mandates that elections should be held between 30 and 60 days before the end of any given parliamentary term. The current legislature’s five-year mandate expired on June 22, and President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has issued a decree to extend the parliamentary term until new elections can be held.

Tadamichi Yamamoto, the deputy to the UN’s special representative in Afghanistan, said in Kabul last month that the organisation’s continued financial and technical assistance for elections depends fundamental reforms being made to the country’s voting system.

At events IWPR organized last month in Zabul, Khost and Nangarhar provinces, local officials, civil society activists and political analysts discussed the barriers that still remained to the elections.

Writer and journalist Mohammad Asef Shinwari told the Nangarhar debate that Kabul needed to prioritise these electoral reforms to guarantee support from foreign donors.

“Unless the current problems in the electoral system are resolved and the national unity government wins the trust of the international community, the world will not pay for the costs of our election,” he said.

However, speakers in Khost said that it was the Afghan government’s responsibility to fund the election budget.

Jamaluddin, the director of human resources at Khost’s finance department, said that the government was still struggling to recover from 2014’s protracted, two-round presidential elections.

Marred by claims of fraud, a total nationwide recount delayed a result until – following mediation by US Secretary of State John Kerry –Ashraf Ghani was finally inaugurated on September 29.

“Most of last year was spent in electoral controversies,” Jamaluddin continued. “We had no revenue. The budget of the ministry of finance faced a multi-million dollar deficit. As a result, no budget has been provided for the elections.”

Noor Shah Noorani, a member of the provincial council, said that a commission had begun working on the much-needed reforms to the electoral system. This would help build trust, he added.

“International donor agencies have promised that they will provide between 60 to 80 million dollars in aid for the parliamentary elections, provided that electoral reforms are implemented and that they are confident that the elections will be held in a proper fashion,” Noorani concluded.

Sahebuddin Zadran, head of public awareness at the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Khost, said that his organisation was ready to carry out its election duties if funds were made available.

He said that reforms would be ready for implementation in about three months, and that the international community would then help fund the polls.

Besmellah, the IEC head of public awareness in Zabul province, also told participants that his organisation was yet to receive the funds needed for them to play their part in parliamentary elections.

“The reason is the controversy surrounding the previous presidential elections, a number of political considerations and the current security situation in the country,” he added.

Civil society activist Shabnam Fazli asked the panel how funds allocated by the international community would be spent on the elections.

Besmillah explained that the commission needed money to run public awareness campaigns, print ballot cards, pay staff salaries and provide other logistical supplies.

Shafiullah Mohammadi, representing the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) in Zabul, said, “Although the government should be the main source for an electoral budget, our government lacks the ability to do this. Therefore, the international community and other partner countries need to now help fund the election budget.”

A tribal elder in Zabul, Abdul Wali Wali, said that accountability was key to the success of future polls.

“Our elders, officials and civil society organisations need to be able to assure the world that the elections will be held transparently to enable them to obtain the election budget from the international community,” he added.

Sediqa Jalali, the local director of women’s affairs, said that public mistrust would grow as long as the polls continued to be postponed.

“Delay in parliamentary elections is harmful for the country,” she said. “Controversy will grow for as long as the elections are postponed.”

This report is based on an ongoing series of debates conducted as part of IWPR’s Afghan Youth and Elections programme.

Ceci est un résumé des déclarations du porte-parole du HCR Melissa Fleming – à qui toute citation peut être attribuée – lors de la conférence de presse du 7 août 2015 au Palais des Nations à Genève.

La situation à Calais n'est ni nouvelle, ni ingérable. On estime à 3 000 le nombre actuel de réfugiés et de migrants à Calais et sur la côte du nord de la France – soit quasiment le même nombre qu'en novembre dernier. Néanmoins, le nombre croissant de victimes, au moins 10 depuis début juin, parmi les réfugiés et les migrants qui tentent de franchir la Manche entre Calais, la ville portuaire française, et le Royaume-Uni est extrêmement préoccupant.

Le HCR réitère son appel, lancé depuis l'été 2014, en faveur d'une réponse urgente, globale et durable – émanant avant tout des autorités françaises – face à l'aggravation de la crise de l'asile et des conditions d'accueil pour les réfugiés et les migrants à Calais. A elles seules, les mesures de sécurité, bien que compréhensibles, ont peu de chance d'être efficaces par elles-mêmes.

Parmi eux, nombreux ont besoin d'une protection internationale – ce sont des réfugiés qui ont fui le conflit, la violence et la persécution en Afghanistan, en Erythrée, en Somalie, au Soudan et en Syrie.

Le HCR demeure gravement préoccupé par leurs conditions de vie et d'accueil épouvantables dans des sites de fortune aux alentours de Calais. Nous encourageons les autorités françaises à déloger progressivement ces personnes des installations informelles actuelles et à leur offrir, comme dans la plupart des pays européens, des conditions d'accueil adéquates dans la région Nord-Pas-de-Calais, et dans d'autres endroits. Il est également essentiel de réduire les délais actuellement très longs pour ceux qui souhaitent demander l'asile en France. Les femmes et les enfants, qui représentent désormais un groupe important à Calais, sont particulièrement vulnérables à l'exploitation et à la traite et ils méritent une attention spéciale de la part des autorités françaises.

Cette situation tragique nécessite une réponse exceptionnelle. Nous appelons également le Royaume-Uni et les autres Etats membres de l'UE à coopérer avec les autorités françaises compétentes afin de trouver des solutions pour les personnes ayant besoin d'une protection internationale, c'est-à-dire dans les cas où il existe des liens familiaux ou d'autres liens dans un autre Etat membre de l'UE conformément à la législation européenne en vigueur.

La situation à Calais reflète une crise de réfugiés beaucoup plus vaste qui se déroule actuellement en Europe, laquelle trouve elle-même son origine dans les déplacements massifs de réfugiés au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique. Les quatre pays voisins de la Syrie accueillent aujourd'hui plus de quatre millions de réfugiés syriens. Un tiers des 224 500 personnes arrivées cette année en Europe sont des réfugiés syriens – des familles qui fuient l'un des conflits les plus meurtriers de l'histoire récente.

La situation à Calais attire l'attention sur de plus grandes responsabilité et coordination ainsi qu'une mise en œuvre plus robuste du régime d'asile européen commun. Il est essentiel que les Etats membres et les institutions de l'UE remédient aux lacunes actuelles en matière d'asile et d'accueil, et développer les mesures de solidarité comme la relocalisation et les autres possibilités légales permettant aux personnes d'atteindre la sécurité.

Toutes les personnes à Calais ne sont peut-être pas des réfugiés. Le retour, dans des conditions humaines et dignes, vers leur pays d'origine ou d'autres pays où ils ont vécu auparavant peut faire partie des solutions pour ces autres groupes, en coopération avec les pays d'origine et dans le respect des normes internationales des droits de l'homme.

Le HCR est disposé à aider davantage la France, le Royaume-Uni et d'autres Etats membres de l'UE, afin de trouver des solutions pratiques et globales.

Pour plus d'informations sur ce sujet, veuillez contacter :

A Calais, Céline Schmitt, au numéro
A Genève, William Spindler, au numéro

KABUL, 7 August 2015 – The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemns the killing today of at least eight civilians and the injuring of more than 200 in Kabul.

“I condemn, in the strongest terms, today’s indiscriminate attack in Kabul,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “I reiterate UNAMA’s repeated calls for the immediate ban of weapons which kill and maim indiscriminately, and to cease attacks in civilian-populated areas. Those responsible for such attacks must be held accountable.”

A truck heavily packed with explosive materials detonated in the Shah Shahid area of Kabul in the middle of the night when people were home sleeping. Among those killed and injured were women and children.

UNAMA extends its condolences to the families of all of those killed in the explosion and wishes a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

On Wednesday UNAMA released its latest report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan. The report documented 4,921 civilian casualties (1,592 deaths and 3,329 injured) in the first half of 2015, a one per cent increase in total civilian casualties compared to the same period in 2014.

by Usman SHARIFI

Eight more fatalities were confirmed Saturday from a barrage of bombings in Kabul, taking the toll to 44 in the deadliest day in the Afghan capital since the NATO combat mission ended in December.

The explosions on Friday, which devastated buildings and overwhelmed hospitals with hundreds of casualties, were the first major militant assaults on Kabul since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death.

In the first attack, a powerful truck bomb tore through the centre of Kabul just after midnight on Friday, killing 15 civilians and wounding 240 others.

The Taliban distanced themselves from the bombing which struck near a Kabul military base -- as they usually do in attacks that result in a large number of civilian casualties.

Less than 24 hours later, at least 20 people were killed when a suicide attacker dressed in police uniform blew himself up at the entrance of Kabul Police Academy.

The Taliban were quick to claim responsibility for that attack, which marked a serious breach of security at a premier training institute for Afghan security forces.

Explosions and gunfire also erupted when Camp Integrity, a US special forces base in Kabul, came under attack late Friday, killing nine people.

"One Resolute Support (NATO) service member and eight Resolute Support contracted civilians were killed," a NATO statement said without revealing their nationalities.

Military jets were heard flying over the centre of Kabul shortly after the Camp Integrity explosions.

The carnage underscored the volatile security situation in Afghanistan amid a faltering peace process with the Taliban as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

Friday's bombings were the first major attacks after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was last week named as the new Taliban chief in an acrimonious power transition after the insurgents confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.

• 'Capable, potent and operational' -

Experts say the escalating violence demonstrates Mullah Mansour's attempt to boost his image among Taliban cadres and drive attention away from internal divisions over his leadership.

"The new wave of attacks is a tactic by the Taliban's new leadership to show they are capable, potent and operational," said security analyst Abdul Hadi Khaled.

"The demise of Mullah Omar divided the movement and affected the morale of their ground fighters. Hitting Kabul with a wave of powerful attacks is a way of showcasing their strength."

On Friday evening, a suicide attacker dressed in police uniform blew himself up at the entrance of Kabul Police Academy, killing at least 20 Afghan cadets who were returning after their two-day weekend.

The bomber managed to place himself in a queue as police trainees were waiting to be searched before entering the academy, said a senior Afghan intelligence official, requesting anonymity.

The official put the toll at 20 dead and 20 wounded. Another police official confirmed that toll while a third senior security source said 25 cadets were killed.

Anguished relatives of cadets gathered near the academy, which was cordoned off by heavily-armed security officials as ambulances with wailing sirens rushed to the scene.

The academy in west Kabul is a premier training institution for police forces in Afghanistan, with between 2,000 and 3,000 cadets graduating every year.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban -- who were toppled from power in the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan -- told AFP the insurgent group was behind the attack.

Earlier Friday, a truck packed with explosives detonated near an army base in the neighbourhood of Shah Shaheed, rattling homes across the city, ripping off the facades of buildings and leaving scattered piles of rubble.

The force of the explosion just after midnight created an enormous crater in the road, around 10 metres (30 feet) deep, and destroyed the boundary wall of the base, although no military casualties were reported.

That attack left 15 dead and 240 wounded, with women and children among those injured, according to deputy presidential spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi.

Soldiers erected a security cordon around the military base close to Shah Shaheed, a largely middle-class civilian residential area with no major foreign presence.

us-hs-ac/psr

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Friday 8/8/2015 - 12:49 GMT

by Usman SHARIFI

Fifteen more fatalities were confirmed Saturday from a barrage of bombings in Kabul, taking the toll to 51 in the deadliest day in the Afghan capital since the NATO combat mission ended in December.

The explosions on Friday, which devastated buildings and overwhelmed hospitals with hundreds of casualties, were the first major militant assaults on Kabul since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death.

The attacks underscored the volatile security situation in Afghanistan amid a faltering peace process and the potency of the Taliban insurgency despite being riven by growing internal divisions.

In the first attack, a powerful truck bomb tore through the centre of Kabul just after midnight on Friday, killing 15 civilians and wounding 240 others.

Less than 24 hours later, 27 cadets and civilians were killed when a suicide bomber dressed in police uniform blew himself up at the entrance of Kabul Police Academy.

Explosions and gunfire also erupted when Camp Integrity, a US special forces base in Kabul, came under attack late Friday, killing nine people, including a NATO service member.

The Taliban distanced themselves from the truck bombing which struck near a Kabul military base -- as they usually do in attacks that result in mass civilian casualties.

But they claimed responsibility for both other attacks, which marked a serious breach of security at a premier training institute for Afghan forces and a foreign coalition facility.

The carnage highlighted the risk of a bloodier insurgency under a new Taliban leadership as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

• 'Capable, potent and operational' -

Friday's bombings were the first major attacks since Mullah Akhtar Mansour was named as the new Taliban chief last week in an acrimonious power transition after the insurgents confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.

Experts say the escalating violence demonstrates Mullah Mansour's attempt to boost his image among Taliban cadres and drive attention away from internal rifts over his leadership.

"The new wave of attacks is a tactic by the Taliban's new leadership to show they are capable, potent and operational," said security analyst Abdul Hadi Khaled.

"The demise of Mullah Omar divided the movement and affected the morale of their ground fighters. Hitting Kabul with a wave of powerful attacks is a way of showcasing their strength."

Mansour is seen as a pragmatist and a proponent of peace talks, but he also has powerful rivals within the Taliban who are strongly opposed to negotiations with the Afghan government.

After 13 years of war US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December, leaving behind a 13,000-strong residual force for training and counter-terrorism operations.

Friday's attacks marked Kabul's deadliest day since the end of that mission.

People wounded in the attacks were pouring into city hospitals, officials said, with reports emerging of blood shortages and urgent appeals for donors circulating on social media.

In the deadliest attack, a suicide attacker managed to place himself in a queue as police trainees were waiting to be searched before entering the academy, killing 27, two security officials told AFP.

Anguished relatives of cadets gathered near the academy, which was cordoned off by heavily armed security officials as ambulances with wailing sirens rushed to the scene.

Four militants including a suicide car bomber also launched an attack on Camp Integrity, triggering explosions and an hours-long firefight, with military jets heard flying over the centre of Kabul.

NATO did not reveal the nationalities of the victims, but a local security firm contracted to guard the camp said eight were Afghans.

Earlier Friday, a truck bomb detonated near an army base in the neighbourhood of Shah Shaheed, rattling homes across the city, ripping off the facades of buildings and leaving scattered piles of rubble.

That attack left 15 dead and 240 wounded, deputy presidential spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi said.

us-hs-ac/psr

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

KABUL, 8 August 2015 – Three attacks by Anti-Government Elements in Kabul on 7 August caused at least 355 civilian casualties – 42 deaths and 313 injured – the highest number of civilians killed and injured in one day since the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) began systematically recording civilian casualties in 2009. The attacks also caused extensive damage to civilian homes and property.

“Those responsible for suicide and complex attacks in civilian-populated areas can no longer shrug off the disproportionate harm to the civilian population they cause,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “The Afghan people are resilient, but the suffering caused by these tactics in terms of civilian deaths, injuries, and the loss of family members, is extreme, irreversible and unjustifiable in any terms.”

Between 1 January and 7 August 2015, UNAMA documented 1,523 civilian casualties (282 deaths and 1,241 injured) from complex and suicide attacks launched by Anti-Government Elements, including the Taliban, almost doubling the death and injuries compared to the same period in 2014.

UNAMA repeats its call for Anti-Government Elements, including the Taliban, to cease the use of complex and suicide attacks in civilian-populated areas. The Mission also extends its condolences to the families of those killed and injured, and reiterates UNAMA’s unwavering support to the people of Afghanistan.

Kunduz, Afghanistan | AFP | Sunday 8/9/2015 - 09:25 GMT

by Gul Rahim

A Taliban attack killed at least 21 people in northern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday, after a wave of lethal bombings in the capital as the insurgency escalates following a bitter power transition.

The Afghan interior ministry said all those killed Saturday evening in the Khanabad district of Kunduz province were civilians, although local officials called them anti-Taliban militiamen.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes after a barrage of bombings in Kabul killed at least 51 people on Friday, the deadliest day for the capital in years.

"The incident took place (when) a suicide bomber detonated his suicide vest in Khanabad district," the interior ministry said, strongly condemning the "heinous act".

"The suicide attack... resulted in martyrdom of 21 civilians and wounding of 10 others."

But Abdul Wadood Wahidi, spokesman for the governor of Kunduz, said 22 militiamen -- including four of their commanders -- were killed by an improvised explosive device.

Kunduz is a volatile province where the Taliban recently came close to overrunning Kunduz city, in the most alarming threat to any provincial capital since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

The insurgency has been rapidly spreading across the north from its traditional southern and eastern strongholds, with Afghan forces increasingly battling the militants on their own.

US-led NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan in December last year, although a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.

The bombings on Friday in Kabul struck near an army complex, a police academy and a US special forces base, killing at least 51 people, officials said.

They were the first major attacks since Mullah Akhtar Mansour was named as the new Taliban chief last week in an acrimonious power transition after the insurgents confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.

The wave of violence has underscored Afghanistan's volatile security situation amid a faltering peace process and the potency of the Taliban insurgency, despite it being riven by growing internal divisions.

Experts say the growing number of attacks demonstrates Mullah Mansour's attempt to boost his image among Taliban cadres and drive attention away from internal rifts over his leadership.

Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a police spokesman in Kunduz, also identified the victims of Saturday's bombing as armed militiamen.

With Afghan forces suffering record casualties as foreign troops pull back, Kabul is increasingly relying on informal militias as a bulwark against the insurgents -- a gambit observers say is akin to fighting fire with fire.

The mobilisation of militias represents a complete departure from previous government efforts to disarm these groups, blamed for devastating Afghanistan during the civil war in the 1990s and setting the stage for a Taliban takeover.

It also lays bare the shortcomings of the multi-billion dollar US-led effort to develop self-reliant Afghan forces, suffering large daily casualties and struggling to rein in an ascendant insurgency on their own as the war expands on multiple fronts.

str-us-ac/erf

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Il faut faciliter la participation politique et améliorer les services destinés aux victimes de viol

(New York) – Les Nations Unies et les pays membres devraient s’attaquer aux problèmes auxquels les femmes du monde entier sont exposées dans les situations de conflit armé, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un rapport publié aujourd’hui. Cette année marque le 15ème anniversaire de la Résolution 1325 du Conseil de sécurité, une résolution historique consacrée aux femmes, à la paix et à la sécurité, qui sera débattue au Conseil de sécurité en octobre 2015.

« Le Conseil de sécurité et les gouvernements sont mieux informés que jamais sur les atrocités infligées aux femmes et aux filles durant les conflits armés, mais ils tardent encore à entreprendre les actions les plus élémentaires pour leur venir en aide», a déclaré Sarah Taylor, chargée de plaidoyer pour les femmes, la paix et la sécurité à Human Rights Watch. « L’ONU a quinze ans de retard dans la mise en œuvre de ses engagements à condamner ces exactions, inclure les femmes aux tables de négociations, protéger les victimes de violences, et punir les individus responsables. »

Le rapport de 20 pages, intitulé « ‘Our Rights are Fundamental to Peace’: Slow Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) Denies the Rights of Women and Girls in Armed Conflict» (« ‘Nos droits sont essentiels à la paix’ : La lenteur de la mise en œuvre de la Résolution 1325 (2000) du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU ignore les droits des femmes et des filles en situation de conflit armé ») examine les insuffisances dans l’action des gouvernements et de l’ONU faisant suite à la Résolution 1325, telles que l’exclusion continue des femmes des négociations de paix, ainsi que la persistance des violences sexuelles doublée du peu d’accès à l’assistance pour ses victimes. Ce rapport s’appuie sur les recherches de terrain et les entretiens menés par Human Rights Watch depuis 2012 auprès de femmes et de filles en Afghanistan, en Colombie, en Irak, en Libye, au Népal, au Nigeria, en Ouganda, en République démocratique du Congo, en Somalie, au Soudan du Sud, au Soudan et en Syrie.

Les femmes sont peu représentées dans les pourparlers de paix officiels et elles sont souvent exclues des prises de décision qui affectent leur sécurité lorsqu’elles sont déplacées à la suite d’un conflit, a indiqué Human Rights Watch. Les femmes dirigeantes de la société civile et les militantes des droits humains courent souvent des risques plus graves en période de conflit armé. L’ONU, les gouvernements et toutes les parties impliquées dans toutes les négociations, notamment les médiateurs et les facilitateurs, devraient agir pour garantir la participation des femmes, traiter les droits des femmes comme une priorité dans les négociations, et veiller à ce que les préoccupations des femmes soient traduites dans les accords finaux.

En situation de conflit armé, les femmes et les filles sont exposées à de multiples exactions, telle que la violence sexuelle. En dépit des engagements pris par les gouvernements et l’ONU, les efforts de prévention et l’accès aux services demeurent extrêmement faibles, et sont même dans certains cas totalement inexistants.

« Les traumatismes subis par les survivantes de viol sont aggravés pendant un conflit armé lorsqu’elles n’ont pas accès à des soins médicaux, à un soutien psychosocial, à une contraception d’urgence, et à un refuge sûr », a expliqué Sarah Taylor. « L’ONU et les gouvernements devraient cesser de se lamenter face aux violences faites aux femmes et aux filles, et faire plutôt de leur protection et de l’accès aux services une priorité dans leurs réponses au conflit. »

Les femmes et les filles qui subissent des violations de leurs droits dans les conflits armés, notamment la violence sexuelle, se retrouvent face à des obstacles majeurs pour obtenir réparation. L’ONU et les gouvernements devraient garantir des enquêtes complètes, crédibles et impartiales sur les violences sexuelles et à caractère sexiste, et mener des poursuites équitables contre les individus responsables de ces crimes, selon Human Rights Watch.

Le rapport souligne les défis auxquels sont confrontées les femmes et les filles dans les situations de conflit, notamment :

• L’exclusion des femmes des négociations avec les Talibans en Afghanistan ;

• Les exactions dont font l’objet les femmes militantes syriennes et d’autres civiles ;

• L’insuffisance de l’accès à une assistance pour les femmes déplacées en Colombie ; et

• L’impunité pour les auteurs de violences sexuelles en République démocratique du Congo.

« Les femmes et les filles dont les vies ont été anéanties par les conflits en ont assez des promesses », a conclu Sarah Taylor. « Il est temps que l’ONU et les pays membres placent les femmes et leurs droits au premier plan des négociations et de l’aide. »

(Nueva York) – Las Naciones Unidas y los países miembros deberían abordar los problemas que enfrentan las mujeres en situaciones de conflicto armado en todo el mundo, señaló Human Rights Watch en un informe difundido hoy. Este año se cumple el 15.º aniversario de la histórica Resolución 1325 del Consejo de Seguridad sobre las mujeres, la paz y la seguridad, que será debatida por dicho consejo en octubre de 2015.

“Nunca antes el Consejo de Seguridad y los gobiernos han tenido tanta información sobre las aberraciones sufridas por mujeres y niñas en conflictos armados, sin embargo, todavía actúan con extrema lentitud incluso para adoptar las medidas más elementales de ayuda”, dijo Sarah Taylor, defensora de derechos de la mujer, paz y seguridad de Human Rights Watch. “La ONU lleva 15 años de retraso en el cumplimiento de los compromisos de repudiar estos abusos, incluir a mujeres en mesas de negociación, proteger a víctimas de violencia y sancionar a los responsables”.

El informe de 20 páginas, “‘Nuestros derechos son fundamentales para la paz’: El lento avance en la implementación de la Resolución 1325 (2000) del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU niega los derechos de mujeres y niñas en conflictos armados”, examina falencias en las acciones gubernamentales y de la ONU con respecto a la resolución 1325, tales como, que las mujeres continúen excluidas de las negociaciones de paz y la persistencia de la violencia sexual con escaso acceso a asistencia, entre otras cosas. El documento se elaboró a partir de investigaciones de campo y entrevistas mantenidas por Human Rights Watch con mujeres y jóvenes desde 2012 en Afganistán, Colombia, Irak, Libia, Nepal, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudán del Sur, Sudán, Siria, la República Democrática del Congo y Uganda.

Las mujeres tienen escasa representación en diálogos de paz formales y con frecuencia quedan excluidas de los procesos de toma de decisiones que afectan su seguridad en situaciones de desplazamiento por conflictos, sostuvo Human Rights Watch. Es común que mujeres líderes de la sociedad civil y defensoras de derechos humanos enfrenten riesgos incluso mayores en épocas de conflicto armado. La ONU, los gobiernos y la totalidad de las partes involucradas en todas las negociaciones, incluidos mediadores y facilitadores, deberían intervenir para garantizar la participación de mujeres, reconocer a los derechos de las mujeres como un factor prioritario en las negociaciones y cerciorarse de que las consideraciones que afectan a las mujeres se vean reflejadas en los acuerdos que finalmente se suscriban.

En conflictos armados, las mujeres y niñas pueden sufrir múltiples abusos, incluida la violencia sexual vinculada con conflictos. A pesar de compromisos expresados por distintos gobiernos y por la ONU, las acciones de prevención y el acceso a servicios todavía son sumamente frágiles, y en algunos casos directamente nulos.

“La experiencia traumática de las víctimas de violaciones sexuales se agrava durante el conflicto armado si no tienen acceso a atención médica, asesoramiento, anticoncepción de emergencia y un lugar de acogida seguro”, observó Taylor. “La ONU y los gobiernos deberían, además de manifestar consternación por la violencia contra mujeres y niñas, avanzar más allá de esto y hacer que su protección y el acceso a servicios sea una prioridad de sus respuestas a los conflictos”.

Las mujeres y niñas que sufren violaciones de derechos humanos en conflictos armados, incluida la violencia sexual, enfrentan obstáculos prácticamente insalvables al intentar obtener algún tipo de resarcimiento. La ONU y los gobiernos deberían asegurar que se impulsen investigaciones exhaustivas, creíbles e imparciales sobre hechos de violencia sexual y de género, y juzgar con las debidas garantías a los responsables, expresó Human Rights Watch.

El informe alerta sobre los desafíos que enfrentan mujeres y niñas durante conflictos, tales como:

• Exclusión de las mujeres de las negociaciones con los talibanes en Afganistán;

• Abusos enfrentados por mujeres activistas y otros civiles sirios;

• Acceso deficiente a asistencia para mujeres desplazadas en Colombia; y

• Ausencia de medidas de justicia contra responsables de violencia sexual en la República Democrática del Congo.

“Las mujeres y niñas cuyas vidas han sido devastadas por conflictos están cansadas de escuchar promesas”, expresó Taylor. “Es momento de que la ONU y los países miembros reconozcan a las mujeres y a sus derechos un lugar prioritario en las negociaciones y la asistencia”.

Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | Monday 8/10/2015 - 09:40 GMT

by Usman SHARIFI

At least five people were killed Monday when a Taliban suicide car bomber struck near the entrance of Kabul's international airport, the latest in a wave of lethal bombings in the Afghan capital.

The Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the blast, have stepped up attacks amid a bitter leadership transition following the announcement of the death of their leader Mullah Omar.

Observers say the upsurge in violence represents a bid by new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour to distract attention from the crisis as planned peace talks falter.

"The explosion occurred at the first checkpoint of Kabul airport," said deputy Kabul police chief Sayed Gul Agha Rouhani.

Five civilians were killed and 16 wounded including children, said Kabul police spokesman Ebadullah Karimi.

The toll was confirmed by Kabul CID chief Fraidoon Obaidi, who said the explosion was caused by a suicide car bomb.

Smoke billowed from the scene of the explosion, which occurred during the busy lunchtime period.

An AFP photographer saw pieces of charred flesh strewn around the checkpoint, where passengers undergo the first round of body checks before entering the airport.

Ambulances with wailing sirens rushed to the area and were seen removing bodies from the area, which was strewn with the twisted and mangled remains of vehicles.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said two vehicles belonging to foreign coalition forces were the target of the attack.

The attack follows a barrage of deadly bombings in the Afghan capital on Friday, which struck close to an army complex, a police academy and a US special forces base and killed at least 51 people.

They were the first major attacks since Mullah Akhtar Mansour was named as the new Taliban chief in an acrimonious power transition after the insurgents confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.

Some top leaders of the Islamist insurgency, including Omar's son and brother, have refused to pledge allegiance to Mansour, saying the process to select him was rushed and even biased.

Tayeb Agha, the head of the Qatar political office set up in 2013 to facilitate talks with Kabul, resigned last week in protest at Mansour's appointment and two more members of the office followed suit.

The wave of violence underscores Afghanistan's volatile security situation amid a flailing peace process.

The first face-to-face talks aimed at ending the 14-year insurgency took place last month between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Pakistani hill town of Murree.

The Taliban distanced themselves from a second round of talks scheduled for the end of July, after the announcement of Omar's death.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani discussed initiating another round of talks in a telephone call Sunday to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a senior official in Islamabad told AFP without elaborating.

Experts say insurgents are stepping up attacks as Mansour tries to distract attention from the internal rifts.

The uptick in violence highlights growing insecurity in the country as Afghan forces face their first summer fighting season without full NATO support.

A UN report published last week said civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit a record high in the first half of 2015.

The report said 1,592 civilians were killed, a six percent fall from last year, but the number of injured jumped four percent to 3,329.

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