Poverty, corruption key in Afghan war: Oxfam

Source: AFP

Poverty, corruption key in Afghan war: Oxfam

By Ian Timberlake (AFP) – 2 hours ago

KABUL — Poverty and corruption are driving the war in Afghanistan, says a survey released Wednesday by British charity Oxfam and local organisations on the eve of President Hamid Karzai's inauguration.

The report paints a bleak picture of the war-torn nation and urges the government to establish the rule of law, reform the police and judiciary, and "crack down on corruption and end the culture of impunity and patronage."

The recommendations come a day before Karzai is sworn in for a second term, with his Western backers insisting on tough action against the corruption that infects Afghan life, from the policeman on the beat to government ministers. Related article: Somalia, Afghanistan top corruption blacklist by Transparency International

Researchers interviewed 704 randomly selected Afghan men and women to find out how three decades of violence that began with a 1978 communist coup and subsequent Soviet invasion have affected ordinary people.

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BBC:


"The people of Afghanistan have suffered 30 years of unrelenting horror," said Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking.

"In that time millions have been killed and millions more have fled their homes. Those who have committed the most terrible abuses have enjoyed impunity rather than faced justice. Afghan society has been devastated."

One respondent in Nangarhar, whose name was concealed in order to protect his identity, described the impact of the conflict on his fellow Afghans.

"What do you think the effect that two million Afghans martyred, 70% of Afghanistan destroyed and our economy eliminated has had on us?" he asked.

"Half our people have been driven mad. A man who is 30 or 40 years old looks like he is 70. We always live in fear. We are not secure anywhere in Afghanistan." ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8363151.stm