Spiral of violence

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose by 24 percent in the first half of 2014 compared to a year earlier, according to the United Nations' mid-year report on protection of civilians in armed conflict. More than 1,560 civilians were killed and over 3,280 injured by the end of June. The report indicates that ground combat is now causing more deaths and injuries than improvised explosive devices in a worrying sign that the conflict is spreading to more densely populated areas.

The UN report comes at a critical time in the South Asian nation as foreign troops prepare to leave in the coming months after almost 13 years of fighting an insurgency. Over the past few weeks Afghanistan has also been facing a political crisis over allegations of massive fraud during the June 14 presidential runoff vote. Preliminary results published on July 7 show former finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai well in the lead, but his rival Abdullah Abdullah refuses to accept the result amid fraud claims.

In a DW interview, Georgette Gagnon, the human rights director for the UN mission in Afghanistan, urges Islamist insurgents and government forces to uphold their legal obligations and humanitarian law to protect civilians.

DW: There has been a 24 percent increase in the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first half of this year. Are we looking at record numbers?

Georgette Gagnon: We are looking at very high numbers compared to last year, and also the highest numbers since 2009 when the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's (UNAMA) started documenting civilian casualties.

It is a combination of many things that have been going on in the country, but certainly the civilian population is facing the brunt of the changing dynamics of conflict in Afghanistan, and as a result is getting caught up in an upward spiral of violence. We are concerned that with increased ground engagements in fighting between insurgents and Afghan forces, more and more civilians are being caught in the cross-fire.

Where is the fighting largely taking place?

The fighting is occurring in civilian-populated areas and close to district centers, busy roads, and disputed territories. We are talking mainly about areas in some parts of the country where the insurgents and the Afghan forces fight for control. For example, heavy fighting is currently talking place in Helmand province and this has led to a high number of civilian casualties.

Who is most affected by this spiral of violence?

We have seen increasing levels of women and children getting injured during the past six months, which is unprecedented since 2009. Children's casualties have increased by 34 percent with more than 1,070 children killed and injured. The number female casualties has also risen by 24 percent to 440.

What do you urge the parties involved in the fighting to do?

We are urging the parties, in particular the insurgents - the Taliban and the Haqqani network - to stop using mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices in civilian areas. Often also, the improvised explosive devices are illegal and kill indiscriminately. They are being used in public parks, markets, and along busy roads. So our message is twofold: insurgents need to be much more careful about how these weapons are used, and all parties need to uphold their legal obligations and the humanitarian law to protect civilians.

Is there any effective way of holding those responsible for the killings accountable?

That is an issue for the Afghan government to deal with. For Afghan forces, there are legal and military processes in place to investigate and prosecute any soldier who deliberately kills a civilian or who does not abide by the rules of war.

Insurgents, on the other hand, claim that they investigate any civilian casualty caused by their fighters, and that they take action against the perpetrators. However, we don't have any report that they have actually done that. Internationally, there is a criminal court which only gets involved if the state is unwilling or is unable to prosecute war criminals. But that is an entirely different process.

The Afghan government, as we understand, is now looking at incorporating elements of humanitarian law into national law, which would allow the government to prosecute and investigate these types of crimes.

Given these worrying figures, the fact that international troops are set to withdraw soon and the current electoral deadlock, how do you see the issue of violence against civilians developing over the next six months?

The situation will remain precarious for civilians if this trend continues. If there are developments on the political front, and a new president is put in place who begins to move ahead with peace and reconciliation efforts, the dynamics might change within the next months. At this point, however, it is quite difficult to make a prediction.

Georgette Gagnon is director of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's (UNAMA) Human Rights Unit.

The interview was conducted by Gabriel Domínguez.