Armed conflict in the world today: a country by country review
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AFGHANISTANStatement: The situation in Afghanistan is a civil war with international aspects in Tajikistan. Background: In 1992, groups of Afghan mujahideen—Islamic resistance fighters who fought from 1979-1989 to end military action by the USSR and to overthrow the Soviet installed government—began fighting each other for control of the country. As many as nine different groups were at one time fighting each other with aid from regional powers, including Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and with financial assistance from the United States. Over one million people died during the ten-year occupation. In early 1995, a new faction of Islamic students called the Taliban joined the fighting and within six months controlled about 40% of the country. In September 1996, the Taliban captured Kabul, ending President Burhanuddin Rabbani’s four-year rule. The Taliban imposed their version of strict Islamic law in areas under their control, requiring men to grow beards and women to veil, and prohibiting women from working outside the home and girls from attending school. By August 1998, the Taliban held about 90% of the country, but Rabbani’s government continued to be the recognized government at the UN. The northern provinces were held by the Northern Alliance, a loose coalition comprised of the ousted government and minority groups including Shiites and ethnic Uzbeks. After fighting near the town of Mazar-i-Sharif in May 1997, more than 2000 Taliban prisoners of war were massacred by soldiers of the Alliance who were reputedly under the command of Abdul Malik Pahlawan. Iran and Afghanistan began a series of military provocations in Summer 1998 after the Taliban reportedly killed eight Iranian diplomats and a reporter during an August 1998 sweep through Mazar-i-Sharif and other northern areas (see “Afghanistan/Iran” in the back). Over 2000 Afghani Hazaras—Shiite Muslims who have resisted rule by the Sunni Taliban—were murdered, and hundreds of Hazara girls and women were raped. In January 1998, more than 200 Afghan women refugees protested against both the Taliban and the Northern Alliance’s treatment of women and demanded that women receive the right to education. Also in August 1998, the United States carried out a missle attack on training camps run by Saudi Osama bin Laden as part of its response to bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The Taliban retaliated by killing an Italian aid worker in Kabul. As a result, the UN withdrew all its foreign workers in Afghanistan in October 1998. Current Situation: In 1998, Russia began providing heavy weapons and training to the Northern Alliance, including Ahmad Shah Massoud, formerly supported by the US CIA. Up to 100,000 Pakistanis are suspected of having trained and fought in Afghanistan between 1994 and 1999. Thousands of Pakistanis, including youths from Islamic schools, were seen fighting with the Taliban during the 1999 offensive against Mazar-i-Sharif. The UEA and Saudi Arabia recognize the Taliban government and allegedly provide financial support. In addition to bin Laden, the Taliban is reportedly harboring those responsible for an two assassination attempts on former Pakistani PM Sharif in early 1999, and Tahir Yuldashev, who is accused of being behind the assassination attempt on Uzbek President Karimov in February 1999. Bin Laden is reportedly training militants from Uzbekistan (see “Uzbekistan” in the back), Tajikistan (see “Tajikistan”), and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Uighurs from China (see “China” in the back). The UN returned in March 1999, sponsoring a power-sharing agreement, but fighting has continued in the northeast. In October 1999, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to turn over bin Laden. The sanctions include the freezing of foreign assets and prohibition on receiving flights by the national airline Ariana. Although the sanctions do not include humanitarian flights, they are expected to exacerbate an already dire situation since a majority of Afghanis lack the basic necessities, and starvation and disease are rampant. The UN and the ICRC have estimated that more than two thirds of Kabul’s residents rely on humanitarian aid for their subsistence needs. In November 1999, the Taliban agreed to allow the World Food Programme to set up a humanitarian relief corridor into the opposition-held Panjir Valley. Around 60,000 refugees in the area have been facing severe food shortages due to poor shelter, severe cold, and shortages of medicine. The road into the valley is regularly mined by both sides. Close to three million Afghani refugees are living in camps outside of the country (including over 1.2 million in Pakistan), and two million are displaced. Rural areas are laced with an estimated 10 million land mines. In January 1999, UNICEF reported 9 of 10 girls and 2 of 3 boys are not in school, and that 257 of every 1000 children die before the age of 5. Hospitals have run out of supplies. UN Action: SC Res 1267 (10/15/99). SC Res 1214 (12/8/98). SC Res 1193 (8/28/98). SC Res 1138 (11/21/97). SC Res 1128 (9/12/97). SC Res 1113 (6/12/97). SC Res 1099 (3/14/97). SC Res 1076 (10/22/96). SC Res 1030 (1996). SC Res 647 (1/11/90). GA Res 54/189 (12/17/99). GA Res 54/185 (12/17/99). GA Res 53/165 (12/9/98). GA Res 52/211 (12/19/97). GA Res 52/145 (12/12/97). GA Res 51/108 (12/12/96). GA Res 50/189 (12/22/95). GA Res 50/88 (12/19/95). GA Res 49/207 (12/23/94). GA Res 49/140 (12/20/94). GA Res 48/208 (12/21/93). GA Res 48/152 (12/20/93). GA Res 47/141 (12/18/92). GA Res 47/119 (12/18/92). GA Res 46/136 (12/17/91). GA Res 46/23 (12/5/91). GA Res 45/174 (12/18/90). GA Res 45/12 (11/7/90). Comm Res 2000/18. Comm Res 1999/9. Comm Res 1998/70. Comm Res 1997/65. Comm Res 1996/75. Comm Res 1995/74. Comm Res 1994/84. Comm Res 1993/66. Comm Res 1992/68. Comm Res 1992/5. Comm Res 1991/78. Comm Res 1991/4. Comm Res 1990/5. Comm Res 1989/23.
Rpt S-G (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1999/13). Rpt S-G (S/1999/994). Rpt S-G (S/1999/698). Rpt S-G (S/1999/362). Rpt S-G (S/1998/913). Rpt S-G (S/1998/532). Rpt S-G (S/1998/222). Rpt S-G (S/1997/894). Rpt S-G (S/1997/719). Rpt S-G (S/1997/482). Rpt S-G (S/1995/105). Rpt S-G (S/1994/1363). Rpt S-G (S/1994/716). Rpt S-G (S/26743). Rpt S-G (A/47/705-S/24831). Rpt S-G (A/46/577-S/23146 & Corr.1). Rpt S-G (A/46/606). Rpt S-G (S/20911). Reports of the Special Rapporteurs: Felix Ermacora: E/CN.4/1990/25; E/CN.4/1991/31; E/CN.4/1992/33; E/CN.4/1993/42; E/CN.4/1994/53; E/CN.4/1995/64. Choong-Hyun Paik: E/CN.4/1996/64; E/CN.4/1997/59; E/CN.4/1998/71. Kamal Hossain: E/CN.4/1999/40; E/CN.4/2000/33. Reports of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances: E/CN.4/1990/13; E/CN.4/1991/20; E/CN.4/1992/18; E/CN.4/1993/25; E/CN.4/1994/26; E/CN.4/1995/36; E/CN.4/1996/38; E/CN.4/1997/34; E/CN.4/1998/43; E/CN.4/1999/62. Reports of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions: S. Amos Wako: E/CN.4/1991/36. Bacre Waly N’diaye: E/CN.4/1993/46; E/CN.4/1995/61; E/CN.4/1996/4; E/CN.4/1997/60 & Add.1. Asma Jahangir: E/CN.4/1999/39 & Add.1; E/CN.4/2000/3 & Add.1. Reports of the Special Rapporteur on Torture: Nigel Rodley: E/CN/4/1998/38 & Add.1; E/CN.4/1999/61; E/CN.4/2000/9. Report on Internally Displaced: Francis M. Deng: E/CN.4/1995/50. Reports of the Special Rapporteur on the Elimination of Religious Intolerance: Angelo Vidal d’Almeida Ribeiro: E/CN.4/1995/91. Abdelfattah Amor: E/CN.4/1997/91; E/CN.4/2000/65.
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