Topic: The Situation in Afghanistan
Country: Ethiopia
Delegate Name: Mr. Brett Bauman
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Ethiopia position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
When the United States began to draw back the number of forces it had in Afghanistan, the resulting power vacuum provided the Taliban with the perfect opportunity to attempt to regain the territory they had lost after being ousted from power in 2001. When the United States left, the Afghan security forces were not prepared or adequately staffed to deal with an enemy as formidable as the Taliban. As a result, the Taliban has staged a resurgence, with a large uptick in bombings and other attacks against Afghan civilians. This violence is very concerning for the international community after having already spent billions of dollars driving out the Taliban. Additionally, the threat is not limited to Taliban violence. The IKSP, or Islamic State in Khorasan Province, has been responsible for many atrocious bombings and attacks against civilians and places of worship. A report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) showed that since January 1, 2016 there have been 850 civilian casualties as a result of attacks against places of worship. This number is staggering and very disturbing to Ethiopia, as this is nearly double the number of casualties from these types of attacks from the year 2009 to 2015.
Ethiopia is very supportive of the fight against terror, especially against radical Islamic terror in Afghanistan. Ethiopia is not a member of NATO and doesn’t currently have troops serving in Afghanistan, however it supports efforts to stabilize the region and end the rampant violence that has been plaguing the area for the last few decades. The failure to form a functioning government that is established on the trust of the electorate is a major challenge facing Afghanistan. Without a government that has the confidence of the people, Afghanistan will not possess the power or authority to effectively challenge their Taliban rivals. Ethiopia sees stabilizing the humanitarian situation as a first priority, as human life should be preserved wherever the UN intervenes. Ethiopia is also alarmed by the recent report that there has been a staggering 87% increase in opium production in Afghanistan. Ethiopia sees this as another factor that results in increased destabilization of the region due to the traffic of illicit drugs. Ethiopia believes the international community must do a better job to help the Afghan government address this issue. Ethiopia is convinced that the Taliban, ISIS, and other terrorist organizations can be stopped, but only through the cooperation of the international community and by setting clear goals for the mission in Afghanistan
