Afghans march 700km to demand peace
Nine people began the anti-war march in May, but their numbers have since swollen
Hobbled by blisters and stalked by hunger, dozens of Afghan protesters are marching hundreds of kilometres across the war-torn country demanding an end to the nearly 17-year conflict.
Nine people began the weeks-long anti-war march in May, but their numbers have since swollen to around 50, organisers say, as their demands for an end to fighting gain traction among ordinary Afghans increasingly fed up with years of bloodshed. The arduous journey began in the southern province of Helmand, a Taliban stronghold.
The group hopes to reach the capital Kabul, some 700 kilometres away, before the end of the holy month of Ramadan this week where it plans to present a list of demands for peace to Afghan leaders.
‘We are tired of this war’
Among the protesters is Zaheer Ahmad Zindani, who was blinded in a roadside explosion several years ago that also killed his sister.
“We are tired of this war and bloodshed,” Zindani said as the group arrived in Ghazni, the capital of the southeastern province of the same name, over the weekend. “Both sides should sit down for peace talks. We want a permanent and sustainable peace.”
The group is also calling for a ceasefire — but longer than the ones announced by the Afghan government and Taliban for Eid Al Fitr — and a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
After weeks of walking along asphalt roads in the heat, sleeping under trees or in mosques, and weakened by fasting for Ramadan, the group is now within 200 kilometres of the Afghan capital.
Initially ridiculed for their plan to walk to Kabul, the protesters now enjoy growing support as more Afghans pay attention to their cause and take to social media to cheer them on. “Your every step gives us hope for peace, continue your march until we have peace,” Jamilurahman wrote on Facebook.
A user called Hamidullah posted: “May Allah give you paradise for every step you take for peace. May peace prevail in every part of our country.”
First of its kind
The march, which is believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan, emerged out of a sitin protest and hunger strike in the Helmand provincial capital Lashkar Gah. That demonstration triggered similar movements by war-weary Afghans around the country.