The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) on Thursday stated that of five provinces polled, respondents expressed little faith in the peace process and that the failure to address past abuses continues to shape the present conflict. 

According to a report released by AREU, a decade later, Afghans continue to echo demands contained in an original report on transitional justice that was carried out in 2004. 

This latest survey covered residents in five provinces, including Kabul, Nangarhar, Bamiyan, Baghlan and Uruzgan provinces. 

Most respondents could personally recall or had anecdotal knowledge of, a broader catalogue of violations that had impacted them personally, their family or their broader community, the report stated. 

Respondents also expressed that the failure to address past abuses continues to shape the present conflict. “Thus, it was not surprising that respondents wished to see a negotiated end to the conflict,” the AREU said. 

“Respondents were also willing to make significant concessions to the Taliban, including allowing them to hold positions in government, to the extent that they could guarantee peace,” read the report.

This was a point of departure from AREU’s research findings in 2011, as respondents in 2015 were far more willing to negotiate with the Taliban. 

However, it must be noted that the most common grievance articulated by respondents was that perpetrators continue to occupy positions of power, which, over the years, had fostered a culture of impunity, the report stated. 

“In this regard, the government must be mindful that any efforts to share power with non-state armed groups do not allow perpetrators to assume official positions.”

The report stated there is significant scope for efforts to raise awareness and establish local-level initiatives that document past and on-going abuses.

“Additionally, there was little confidence in the national peace process.”

Respondents acknowledged the government as a legitimate interlocutor while remaining skeptical of its ability to deliver a negotiated end to the conflict. Thus, the peace process must include significant public outreach efforts to build confidence in the negotiations, it said.

As a recommendation, the AREU said the Afghan government should implement a vetting program to both remove known perpetrators from positions of power, as well as to prevent new ones from occupying official positions in future. “In particular, the legal framework relating to senior public sector appointments, as well as qualifying criteria for electoral candidates, should be revisited.”

It also suggested members of civil society should consider local initiatives to document past and on-going human rights abuses, conduct community level truth-telling exercises and support local memorialization efforts and members of civil society should develop a justice agenda for Afghanistan’s national peace process.