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The Security Council Security Council Situation Report 29 September 2021
Situation Report on Matters Pertaining to International Peace and Security
This update complements the background guide already published in the AMUN Handbook. Please read the handbook before turning to this update.
The Situation in Afghanistan
The situation in Afghanistan has changed dramatically in recent months. The Afghan government, established and supported by the United States and its allies since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, collapsed in mid-August amidst the final withdrawal of American and allied soldiers. The withdrawal was in accordance with an agreement concluded between the Taliban insurgents and the United States. As foreign forces withdrew from each province, Taliban fighters rapidly overran the Afghan National Army, allowing them to easily seize control of the country. The capital Kabul fell on 15 August 2021.
As the Taliban took control, the United States and other nations used the Kabul airport to conduct a large-scale evacuation effort of foreign nationals and Afghans who wished to flee Taliban rule. Over 120,000 people were airlifted out of Afghanistan before the United States military withdrew and the Taliban entered the airport. A small number of international civilian flights have left the Kabul airport after the Taliban takeover.
The Taliban are now the de facto rulers of Afghanistan, and have begun to form a government. International observers have criticized the government’s lack of inclusivity, and raised concerns about rights of women and girls under a Taliban regime. The Taliban has said it will address concerns about human rights only after it is recognized as the government of Afghanistan. It has also challenged the credentials of Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations and nominated a new permanent representative to the United Nations.
Afghanistan faces a serious humanitarian crisis. The Afghan healthcare system is severely underfunded, and the World Food Programme estimates that only five percent of all Afghan households have enough food to eat every day. The United Nations has expressed a commitment to remaining in the country to help coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid; to this end, on 17 September the Security Council authorized a six-month extension of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Taliban government has offered assurances that the safety and security of UNAMA personnel will be respected.
Bibliography
- Afghanistan’s Healthcare System On Brink of Collapse, As Hunger Hits 95 Per Cent of Families (22 September 2021). UN News.
- Afghanistan: ‘Palpable’ Fear of ‘Brutal and Systemic Repression’ of Women Grows (21 September 2021). UN News.
- Hernandez, David (18 September 2021). Another Flight Has Left Kabul’s Airport, This Time With 28 U.S. Citizens On Board. National Public Radio.
- Taliban Asks to Address UN After Afghanistan Takeover (22 September 2021). Al Jazeera.
- UN Special Envoy Discusses Humanitarian Crisis with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister (27 September 2021). Yahoo News.
- Zucchino, David (18 August 2021). Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan. The New York Times.
Situation Report on Matters Pertaining to International Peace and Security
This update complements the background guide already published in the AMUN Handbook. Please read the handbook before turning to this update.
The Situation in Afghanistan
The situation in Afghanistan has changed dramatically in recent months. The Afghan government, established and supported by the United States and its allies since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, collapsed in mid-August amidst the final withdrawal of American and allied soldiers. The withdrawal was in accordance with an agreement concluded between the Taliban insurgents and the United States. As foreign forces withdrew from each province, Taliban fighters rapidly overran the Afghan National Army, allowing them to easily seize control of the country. The capital Kabul fell on 15 August 2021.
As the Taliban took control, the United States and other nations used the Kabul airport to conduct a large-scale evacuation effort of foreign nationals and Afghans who wished to flee Taliban rule. Over 120,000 people were airlifted out of Afghanistan before the United States military withdrew and the Taliban entered the airport. A small number of international civilian flights have left the Kabul airport after the Taliban takeover.
The Taliban are now the de facto rulers of Afghanistan, and have begun to form a government. International observers have criticized the government’s lack of inclusivity, and raised concerns about rights of women and girls under a Taliban regime. The Taliban has said it will address concerns about human rights only after it is recognized as the government of Afghanistan. It has also challenged the credentials of Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations and nominated a new permanent representative to the United Nations.
Afghanistan faces a serious humanitarian crisis. The Afghan healthcare system is severely underfunded, and the World Food Programme estimates that only five percent of all Afghan households have enough food to eat every day. The United Nations has expressed a commitment to remaining in the country to help coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid; to this end, on 17 September the Security Council authorized a six-month extension of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Taliban government has offered assurances that the safety and security of UNAMA personnel will be respected.
Bibliography
- Afghanistan’s Healthcare System On Brink of Collapse, As Hunger Hits 95 Per Cent of Families (22 September 2021). UN News.
- Afghanistan: ‘Palpable’ Fear of ‘Brutal and Systemic Repression’ of Women Grows (21 September 2021). UN News.
- Hernandez, David (18 September 2021). Another Flight Has Left Kabul’s Airport, This Time With 28 U.S. Citizens On Board. National Public Radio.
- Taliban Asks to Address UN After Afghanistan Takeover (22 September 2021). Al Jazeera.
- UN Special Envoy Discusses Humanitarian Crisis with Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister (27 September 2021). Yahoo News.
- Zucchino, David (18 August 2021). Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan. The New York Times.