Ethnic conflicts threaten to increase violence in Afghanistan

The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) has warned of an increase in ethnic conflicts in Afghanistan. ”The rapidly growing tensions between some nationalities can soon endanger the safety of foreign soldiers as well”, said the GfbV Asia expert, Ulrich Delius on Thursday. The Afghan government is responsible for the sharp increase in ethnic conflicts since it ignores the question of the land-rights of the different nationalities in the country, which itself consists of many nations.

Hundreds of members of the Hazara people demonstrated in the streets of Kabul on 30th March 2008 and threatened to take to arms to prevent Kuchi nomads from allowing their cattle to graze on Hazara land in the spring. "Down with the Kuchis!” cried the demonstrators, who were calling on the Afghan authorities for protection from the nomads, who belong to the Pashtun majority. Spokespersons for the Kuchis also showed themselves ready for battle and declared that they would if necessary press their grazing rights by force of arms.

The two or three million Kuchis in their search for fresh grazing land go with their herds of camels, goats, sheep and donkeys every year in the spring to the provinces in the centre of the country. Here there live some nine million members of the minority of the Hazara.

The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission warned recently that in the year 2008 the conflicts between these two belligerent ethnic groups could be even more violent than in previous years. Hardly noticed in the world was the expulsion of Kuchi nomads from the province Wardak in the highlands of central Afghanistan in June 2007. About 200 armed Kuchi fighters had forced the inhabitants of 65 villages to take to flight. Afghan security forces did not intervene to prevent the expulsion.

"The Afghan government still hardly pays any attention to the question of land rights, although this has become an increasingly large security risk”, said Delius. Apart from the disputed issues between various nationalities the stealing of land by the war-lords, which is tolerated by the government, has taken on threatening dimensions. Alone in the year 2007 at least 5000 sq km land have been purloined by war-lords and other influential personalities without any action being taken by the Afghan authorities.