Patience running out for engagement with Taliban: UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS (AA) – A UN envoy has called for engagement with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to promote governance that works to benefit Afghan people and respects the norms of the global community.

“Patience is running out by many in the international community regarding a strategy of engagement with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities,” Markus Potzel, the UN chief’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan, told the UN Security Council.

Taliban took over the government of Afghanistan on August 15 last year, but they are yet to be recognized by any nation.

“If the Taliban do not respond to the needs of all elements of Afghan society and constructively engage within the very limited window of opportunity with the international community, it is unclear what would come next,” said Potzel.

He issued a stark warning that further fragmentation, isolation, poverty, and internal conflict are among the likely scenarios, leading to a potential mass migration and a domestic environment conducive to terror organizations, as well as greater misery for the Afghan population.

The Taliban’s takeover, followed by the disruption of international financial assistance, has left the worn-torn country in economic, humanitarian and human rights crises.