Janez Lenarčič, the European commissioner responsible for crisis management and humanitarian aid who visited Kabul this week, has said that the protection of civilians in conflict and respect of International Humanitarian Law “cannot wait for a ceasefire.”

“The safety and unobstructed access of humanitarian aid workers cannot be compromised,” he said.

“The human cost of the conflict in Afghanistan is profound, with the civilian population suffering the most. My message here today is very clear; the protection of civilians is a cornerstone of international humanitarian law and must be respected by all parties. The EU reiterate its call for an immediate ceasefire,” the EU commissioner said. 

During his visit, the commissioner met with humanitarian agencies, female civil society representatives and the deputy special representative of the UN Secretary General.

“My discussions here today confirm the dire humanitarian situation that a large part of the civilian population faces every single day. The EU has been among the most generous humanitarian donors to Afghanistan,” he said. 

“In the last two years the EU allocated €100 million in humanitarian aid, in 2021 our initial support amounts to 32 million euros. To meet the needs and reach the most vulnerable, we operate in partnership and coordination with NGOs and UN agencies in strict compliance with our humanitarian principles,” he added. 

He also met with President Ashraf Ghani and and Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation and reaffirmed the EU’s strong support for the peace process, expressed concern about the continuous high level of violence, emphasized the need of political unity and support for peace and the need to support the work of NGOs in Afghanistan, according to statement by EU office in Kabul.   

This comes as the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in a new report said that violence trends high levels of insurgent and extremist violence continued in Afghanistan this quarter despite renewed calls from US officials for all sides to reduce violence in an effort to advance the ongoing peace process between the Taliban and the Afghan government. 

Resolute Support, the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, reported 2,586 civilian casualties from October 1 to December 31 last year, including 810 killed and 1,776 wounded, according to SIGAR report. 

The report says the proportion of casualties caused by IED increased by nearly 17 percent in this quarter, correlating with an increase in magnetically attached IEDs or “sticky bomb” attacks, the report said.