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A30 world news
Diasabra 23 OctOber 2021

From exile, female former Afghan leader keeps fighting

in the summer, seizing province after “They’re very angry ... that I am not
province until they reached Kabul in with them at these difficult times,”
August. When then-President Ashraf she said. “The women, especially,
Ghani fled, the Taliban entered the they keep sending me messages ex-
capital, sparking panic among many pressing their anger that, you know,
who had opposed their rule and ‘We need you to be here with us in
feared for their lives and futures. the streets of Kabul,’ and they are
right.”
That was the fatal blow to reaching a
political settlement many had hoped Women she used to work with and
would cement the gains women had who were the breadwinners in their
achieved in access to education, work families send her photos of them-
and the legal system, Koofi said. selves as reminders.

She also blamed “world leaders,” “Psychologically to process this and
seeming to point a finger at U.S. to be able to adjust and accept, it’s not
President Joe Biden. “As a super- been easy,” she said. “Not only for
power, the United States has a major me, for every woman and man that I
responsibility and should be held ac- have met in the last two months after
countable,” she said. I left Kabul.”
(AP) — Two months after the Tal- ing for permanent residence for her-
iban seized power in Afghanistan, self and her two daughters. When he announced withdrawal For now, Koofi is focused on resolv-
one of the country’s once-promi- plans, Biden said he was bound by ing residency status for herself and
nent female leaders — a former “This is not an Afghanistan I fought the timetable set by the Trump ad- her daughters, ages 22 and 23. For
parliament member, candidate for,” she told the AP. “The Afghani- ministration and that the U.S. could security reasons, she declined to say
for president and a nominee for stan that I was hoping for was (that) not continue to extend the military where.
the Nobel Peace Prize — is visit- women should not suffer as much presence in Afghanistan and expect a
ing the United Nations, not as a as I suffered during my childhood, different result. Some 100,000 Afghans have fled the
representative of her government during the time that I was a teenager, country since the Taliban took power,
but as a woman in exile. when (the) Taliban took over.” Still, Koofi said she thinks the break- though many were unable to leave in
down of peace talks and the Taliban the final chaotic airlifts. The 38 mil-
In an interview with The Associated “I wanted other girls to enjoy at takeover could have been avoided. lion Afghans who remain are facing
Press, Fawzia Koofi called for hu- least the freedom of choosing which Pausing as tears ran down her face, “ universal poverty ” within a year,
manitarian aid sent to Afghanistan to school they should go. But now, their she said: “I mean, every day we are the U.N. development agency said in
be contingent on the participation of choice is limited to which room in actually dealing with this trauma.” September.
women in its distribution, as well as their houses they should spend dur-
free and safe travel for Afghans into ing the day. This is heartbreaking.” Her former female colleagues in par- Koofi also warned of the threat from
and out of the country. liament, female judges who used to the Islamic State group in Afghani-
Koofi, a former deputy speaker of par- sentence people affiliated with the stan — known by its Arabic acronym
Aid “should not be politicized. ... liament, was one of only four women Taliban and some journalists who Daesh — and called for renewed po-
Women should be involved in every in talks to reach a power-sharing deal spoke out against the group are now litical negotiations because, she said,
stage of it and they should be listened with the Taliban, which ultimately fearful, she said. stability does not just come from the
to. Women should not be only the failed. She described watching the cessation of violence, but strong and
recipients,” said Koofi, part of a del- Taliban’s commitment to negotia- The Taliban must also be held ac- inclusive institutions.
egation of Afghan women visiting the tions change after they signed a peace countable, she added, for their pledg-
U.N. to urge member states not to agreement with the United States in es that women would be able to go “If we think that one military extrem-
compromise on inclusion and equal February 2020. to school and work “within the prin- ist group, which is Taliban, is going to
rights in Afghanistan. ciples of Islam.” defeat Daesh — it’s not going to work
“After they signed the agreement, that way,” she said.
Since fleeing Kabul in August, Koofi they were more extreme and they Each day, Koofi said she gets hun-
has been living in hotel rooms in Eu- were more into buying time, prefer- dreds of text and voice messages “You need to continue to empower
rope. She described the pain of sepa- ring a military strategy,” she said. largely from women still in Afghani- the nation, empower the people, edu-
ration from her country, of two de- stan, hoping she can help them. cate them, support the political pro-
cades of hopes dashed and of search- Taliban fighters pursued that strategy cess.”

Limbo in a blue tent: African asylum-seekers stuck on Cyprus

(AP) — It seems a strange place to pitch a one of nine linking the two communities.
tent. Cyprus says it has the highest number of first-time
Enjei Grace says that she and Daniel Ejube were asylum applications among all 27 EU members,
Plump in the middle of the United Nations-pa- wrong to try to enter the internationally recognized relative to its population of roughly 1.1 million. In-
trolled buffer zone that has divided Cyprus along south that way to apply for asylum. terior Minister Nicos Nouris has told EU Home
ethnic lines since 1974, in the heart of the island’s Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson that the
medieval capital, two Cameroonian asylum-seek- “We are sorry,” the 24 year-old says with tear-filled country can’t host more asylum seekers “due to the
ers have lived in a small blue tent for nearly five eyes, adding that she hopes authorities won’t leave severe burden” on its reception system.
months. them in limbo “forever.”
At an EU Asylum Support Office conference in
The breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, through “We just pray that they sort things out, it’s not been Malta last week, Nouris said Cyprus is “obliged
which they entered hoping to reach the European easy on us,” she said. to take significant and drastic” measures along the
Union-member, Greek Cypriot south, will deport buffer zone, adding that about 800 migrants crossed
them if they go back. And the south seems deter- Neither the Cyprus government nor authorities in it recently within a 10-day span. Nouris added that
mined not to let them in — to discourage more the breakaway north have directly referred to the 15,000 migrants have had their asylum applications
would-be migrants from trying the same route. case so far. And the government has given no indi- rejected but can’t be deported because there’s no
cation that it would let them in, for fear that could coherent EU policy — or agreement with their
To make things worse, the two can see people free- encourage other migrants from the Middle East home countries — on sending them back.
ly moving between north and south all the time, as and Africa to see the buffer zone as an easy gateway
their tent is beside a main authorized crossing — to asylum.