Progress and Pitfalls of “Peace-Building”

in Afghanistan continues...

Another big cause of disputes relate to water because of its importance and shortage of supply. There is a disruption of established patterns of supply and demand caused by conflict. The situation has been intensified by poor water management, insufficient irrigation, and environmental degradation. Frequent natural disasters compound the

existing hardship.

As a result of the 2006 drought, for example, some two and half million people faced chronic food shortages. Currently, a similar number of Afghans face high food insecurity. The capacity of the government and communities to minimise the impact of disasters, and to ensure swift and effective responses, remain inchoate and variable.

Another major source of conflict, as demonstrated in the Oxfam survey, is disagreements within or between families over various issues.

Such disputes can easily spread to tribes or communities, and in a significant number of cases relate to women, marriage, or sexual relations. Violence can result from the transgression of traditional conjugal norms, such as the provision of dowries, arranged marriage, the custom of a family providing a girl for marriage as compensation for a crime (baad), or to resolve a dispute (badal), or the practice whereby a widow is expected to marry her deceased husband’s brother. Domestic violence against women or severely discriminatory treatment is also often a cause and consequence of family, tribal, or community disputes. Tribal and ethnic dispute is another important factor for conflict.

Afghanistan’s people are a patchwork of different ethnicities and in some areas these differences hinder social cohesion. For example, Oxfam researchers in the Ghourian district of Herat reported that ‘the biggest reason for conflict is land disputes, which mainly happen between Pashtuns and Tajiks. Despite a strong sense of national identity, ethnic and tribal affiliations have long been of significance. Inequalities and rivalries between ethnicities existed prior to the Saur Revolution of 1978, but were intensified by conflict as tensions increased and commanders sought to exploit differences for their own end.

To be continued.....