Thursday, August 12, 2021 MADRID. Fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban has escalated dramatically since May. Tens of thousands of ordinary Afghans have had to flee their homes – hundreds have been killed or injured in recent weeks.

Afghan children, women and men are suffering and forced to live with violence, insecurity, and fear every day. Forty years of war and displacement, compounded by climate shocks and COVID-19, have left almost half of Afghanistan’s population in need of emergency aid.

More than 1,000 civilians have been killed amid fierce fighting in the past month. Fighting across the country, which has claimed the lives of over 40,000 people since 2009. People have suffered enough.

According to the United Nations, Afghanistan has the third-largest displaced population in the world. Since 2012, some five million people have fled and not been able to return home, either displaced within Afghanistan or taking refuge in neighbouring countries.

A safe, secure, and sustainable future in Afghanistan can only be achieved through successful peace negotiations.

The Europe Peace Foundation (EPF) urges all parties involved in this conflict to observe and respect international law to use the means of dialogue, negotiation and diplomatic agreements to resolve a conflict that has claimed too many innocent lives and irreversible losses.

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