By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has appealed to the Taliban to restore internet and telecommunications access across the country, expressing concern that the blackout imposed by the government in Kabul has left the nation almost entirely disconnected from the outside world.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Tuesday said the disruption threatened economic stability and deepened one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The outage which started on Monday was the first nationwide shutdown since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 and was part of what they tagged professed crackdown on “immorality”.
Earlier this month, several provinces lost their fiber-optic connections after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning the service to prevent the spread of immorality.
The U.N mission warned that the blackout is crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting aviation.
It says such restrictions further undermine freedom of expression and the right to information.
It noted that telecommunications are also crucial during disasters. Afghanistan has recently suffered major earthquakes in the east and is struggling with mass forced returns from neighboring countries.
The U.N. mission said the internet outage spread since it was first imposed by the Taliban on Sept. 16 and became nationwide on Sept. 29.
The mission said it would continue to press Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to restore access “in support of the Afghan people.”
