UN Issues Urgent Appeal to Taliban as Afghanistan Plunges into Nationwide Internet Blackout
UN Issues Urgent Appeal to Taliban as Afghanistan Plunges into Nationwide Internet Blackout
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan today issued an urgent plea to the Taliban, demanding the immediate restoration of internet and telecommunications access across the country. The comprehensive blackout, which became nationwide on September 29, has effectively severed Afghanistan from the global community, sparking grave concerns from international bodies.
This unprecedented nationwide shutdown, the first since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, follows a decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada earlier this month, banning fiber-optic connections in several provinces as part of a professed crackdown on ‘immorality.’ The internet outage initially began on September 16, progressively spreading before encompassing the entire nation.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has warned that the digital darkness threatens to destabilize the country’s fragile economy and exacerbate one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The blackout is crippling vital banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, severely limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting essential aviation services.
Furthermore, the UN emphasizes that such restrictions fundamentally undermine freedom of expression and the fundamental right to information. Telecommunications are also crucial for disaster response, a critical need given Afghanistan’s recent major earthquakes and ongoing challenges with mass forced returns from neighboring countries. UNAMA has affirmed its commitment to continue pressing Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to restore access in support of the Afghan people.
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