EU says ‘failed state’ scenario has to be avoided in Afghanistan

The European Union (EU) has emphasized the need to avoid a ‘failed state’ scenario in Afghanistan amid a surge in coordinated attacks by the Taliban against the Afghan forces across the country since the beginning of the withdrawal process of international forces.

In a statement on Thursday, the EU Parliament condemned in “the strongest terms” the alarming increase in violence in Afghanistan. 

The organization called on the Taliban to immediately cease their attacks against “civilians and the national forces, and to fully respect international humanitarian law.”

In the resolution adopted on Thursday, Members of the EU Parliament (MEPs) point to “the confluence of the fragile domestic situation, a deteriorating security situation, intra-Afghan peace talks effectively at a stalemate and the decision to withdraw US and NATO troops by 11 September 2021.”

All this could intensify internal conflicts and create a vacuum that, in the worst-case scenario, will be filled by the Taliban, MEPs said. 

“This would be very worrying for the country and for the sustainability of the socio-political achievements and progress of the last 20 years”, MEPs warned. 

The MEPs also stressed that the progress made in the rights of women and girls, which is now under threat and must urgently be preserved and strengthened.

The resolution expressed concern about the fragility and instability of the Afghan Government and its lack of control over much of the country and stresses the need to avoid a ‘failed state’ scenario. 

The Parliament, meanwhile, reiterated its commitment to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and post-conflict reconstruction as the only credible path to inclusive, long-term peace, security, and development. 

The organization also urged the Council, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and the Commission to “prepare and present to Parliament, as soon as possible, a comprehensive strategy for future cooperation with Afghanistan once NATO-allied troops have withdrawn and urge the EU and its member states, NATO and the US to remain engaged with this objective.”

The statement comes amid a surge in coordinated attacks by the Taliban against the Afghan forces across the country since the beginning of the withdrawal process of international forces.

So far, the group has captured over a dozen districts and dozens of military bases and outposts.

According to the reports, hundreds of members of the Afghan forces have been killed, wounded, or captured by the Taliban since the group launched offensives during the past month.

The peace talks in Doha must resume immediately to achieve a political settlement to the conflict and a permanent, nationwide negotiated ceasefire, EU Parliament members said. 

According to them, only a political settlement offers hope for lasting peace, they underline. They recommend the parties should seek help from a third-party mediator, such as the United Nations, to help them agree on a political roadmap for a prosperous Afghanistan.

MEPs emphasized that European support will remain conditional on preserving and building upon the achievements of the past twenty years, on effectively enhancing inclusive and accountable governance, strengthening institutions, democratic pluralism, the rule of law, combating corruption, strengthening independent media, human rights, and fundamental freedoms for all Afghans.