KABUL: Two Afghan employees of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have been arrested by Afghanistan’s intelligence agency in the western province of Herat, the United Nations said on Tuesday, raising fresh concerns over the treatment of international personnel working in the country.
UNAMA said the two male Afghan staff members were detained on August 9 by officials of the de facto General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI). The UN said it had not been given access to the employees for two days and had not been informed of the reasons for their detention.
“We have not been informed of the charges against them or permitted to see them,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Haq called on Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to respect the privileges and immunities granted to UN personnel under international law. The Afghan authorities have not responded.
The detentions come only days before the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, when the group seized control of Kabul on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of US-led international forces.
The UN has maintained a substantial humanitarian presence in Afghanistan, with multiple agencies working across the country on healthcare, food assistance, education and other humanitarian programmes.
The organisation has repeatedly urged the authorities to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of humanitarian personnel. The latest arrests also follow growing international concern over the conduct of Afghanistan’s security and morality institutions.
In a report published this week, UNAMA called on the Afghan authorities to clarify the rules governing the use of force, arrest and detention by security institutions and to strengthen mechanisms for accountability.
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have governed the country for nearly five years under their strict interpretation of Islamic law. Their policies have drawn widespread international criticism, particularly over restrictions imposed on women and girls.
Afghan women have also been barred from entering UN premises, including women employed by the organisation, under restrictions imposed by the Taliban authorities.
The detention of the two UN staff members follows a series of other arrests involving aid workers in Herat province. In June, around 20 aid workers were detained near the Iranian border by the morality police over allegations that their beards did not meet the authorities’ requirements.
According to an internal UN-related memo, some of those detained worked for organisations partnering with the United Nations. They were later released.
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In another incident in June, dozens of women were detained by the Taliban’s morality police for allegedly violating official dress requirements by failing to wear a chador or burqa. Among those detained was a hospital worker employed by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which condemned the detention.
The restrictions have also triggered rare public protests. The United Nations said at least two people were killed when a protest against the restrictions was violently dispersed.
The latest developments come as Afghanistan faces a deepening humanitarian crisis, compounded by significant reductions in international aid and the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan in recent years.
The UN’s call for access to its detained personnel adds another layer to concerns over the operating environment for humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan, where aid agencies remain heavily dependent on cooperation with the de facto authorities to provide assistance to millions of vulnerable people.
