‘Relative peace’ in Afghanistan but More Needs to be Done: UN Rights Chief

ISTANBUL (AA) – UN human rights chief has acknowledged “relative peace” in Afghanistan and said the general amnesty granted by the Taliban is “significant.”

Michelle Bachelet, however, said Afghans “remain uncertain about the future of their country (and) also about where their next meal will come from.”

After her one-day visit to the war-torn country on Thursday, Bachelet said the Afghans are “toiling through desperate, intersecting crises and grappling with great uncertainty.”

Her one-day trip marked the first high-level visit by any UN official of her stature to travel to Afghanistan after Taliban’s return to power last August.

Bachelet said she met representatives of the Taliban-led interim government besides civil society representatives, including women teachers, doctors, journalists, civil servants, and non-governmental organization workers.

“The women powerfully conveyed the urgency of the situation on the ground. And they pleaded for a seat at the table with the de facto authorities, as partners to help chart a way out of this economic, humanitarian and human rights crisis in Afghanistan,” said the UN rights chief.

The Taliban returned to power last August to form an interim government in Afghanistan after complete exit of foreign forces from the country. The West-backed administration melted down and its officials fled the country. The return of the Taliban marked the end of a 20-year-long bloody war which saw tens of hundreds of innocent Afghans lost to the armed conflict.

The UN rights chief said she conveyed to the interim government through its acting deputy premier and interior minister the “importance of inclusivity in navigating the way out of this crisis.”

Bachelet urged re-establishment of an independent human rights mechanism, saying during the “time of relative peace in the country, it is crucial to establish inclusive alliances.”