TheWorldJournal.com

The Real Tragedy
By Jean-Francois Numainville, TheWorldJournal.com

Ever since the terrorist attacks, and the following war, the world has turned its eyes over to a previously obscured country: Afghanistan. But besides being the target of the mighty U.S. Air Force, nobody really knows what life is really like in there. A great deal of curiosity comes to my mind when I try to figure what the Talibans are up to, and what life in general must be like.

Well, in order to give you a clear picture of the life in Afghanistan, the annual U.N. ranking of the state of living of all the countries in the world is the best example. In the 2001 edition, Canada came in the first place (for the 4th time in a row), thanks to its free health and education system, low crime and employment rate, etc. The battle for the top spot was won at the finish line by Canada, followed by a breath by other freezing countries: Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. But, all the way down the chart, a fierce battle went on the find out who got the title for the worst place to live on Earth. Is it Sierra Leone going trough an endless and ultra violent civil war? Perhaps North Korea: ruled by a communist regime, and currently strike by the worst droughts in the last few decades? Or is Somalia, Congo, and Bangladesh?

Well no, Afghanistan is the last place you want to live on this planet. Since the government was took over by the Talibans, the already tough living conditions simply got dramatic. By turning its back to the world, the Talibans severed almost entirely all commercial links, and therefore cutting precious food and medical supply inputs. The daily life of the Afghans people is characterized by awful violations of the most basic human rights: Men and women are often killed, beaten and torture for the most unlikely reasons: An entire soccer team was executed for wearing shorts, which were supposedly banned by the religious laws. People suspected of not being Muslims are killed as well. Needless to say that any form of art or alternative thinking is also strictly forbidden. The country arbors a large part of the world's production of opium, making the country just as unsafe as urban areas. To add to the disaster, people are dying by the thousands of starvation due to a nasty drought. And there is little hope for next year, because seeds were destroyed by the drought and no importation will be allowed by the regime. But wait a minute… This situation prevailed before the coalition lead by America declared war to this ill-fated country.

There is basically any reports coming from inside Afghanistan, and the little information available is coming refugees. But French journalist Michel Peyrard, writing for the Paris Match, managed to get inside the Taliban regime, and to come back alive. Before he got arrested and charged for spying, he interviewed many Taliban fighters, none of them feared the American strikes, although strategic places in Djalalabad were totally destroyed. Peyrard was released from jail after three weeks of enquiry. The population seems hostile to the regime, who remains stables even after intensive assaults by Americans.

The saddest thing in this story is that Afghanistan is capable of so much better; the country could be prosperous relying on rich resources, such as mines and agriculture. The suffering seems endless, and things are going to get worst. The crisis is in addition of more than 20 years of war, three years of severe drought, and the ongoing displacement of more than one million people. With the onset of winter, conditions are expected to worsen. In deed, 5 millions Afghans (70% of them are women and children), are now living in camps mostly in Pakistan, where the government is doing nothing to help. Needless to say: The real crisis is not about terrorism, it's about saving millions of innocent lives.

© November 14, 2001