Internal divisions within the Taliban; poverty, anger and the risk of new war.
A senior Taliban official warned in an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph that widespread poverty and internal discontent have increased the risk of civil war within the Taliban.
Referring to the dissatisfaction of a number of Taliban ministers with Mullah Haibatullah’s leadership, he said: “You cannot manage a hungry nation. The lack of money and management has exacerbated the conflict between Kabul and Kandahar.”
According to the Telegraph, Afghanistan is on the brink of one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises: more than 90 percent of the population lives in poverty, some 29 million people need urgent assistance, and food insecurity threatens the lives of millions of families.
Local sources have also confirmed that hunger has forced families to sell their children, increased crime and even a new wave of suicides.
Despite these conditions, Taliban officials have denied internal disputes and claim that they can control the crisis by mining and economic projects; a claim that is far from the reality of the streets and markets empty of bread and work.
