UNAMA Urges Taliban to Restore Internet and Telecommunications in Afghanistan

Kokcha News Agency: In a statement issued on Tuesday, UNAMA urged the Taliban to immediately restore internet and telecommunications services across Afghanistan. The blackout, which began on September 16 in parts of the country and expanded nationwide on September 29, has had “immediate and far-reaching consequences,” the mission said.

UNAMA highlighted that the shutdown has disrupted banking and financial systems, aviation, medical care, and remittances that many Afghan families rely on. The mission also emphasized that the blackout restricts freedom of expression, increases the isolation of women and girls, and risks worsening one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

“Telecommunications systems are vital during times of disasters,” UNAMA said, noting that the outages come as Afghanistan grapples with recent earthquakes in the east and large-scale forced returns of refugees from neighboring countries. “Internet shutdowns have been shown to put lives at risk.”

UNAMA added that it continues to engage with the Taliban, as mandated by the UN Security Council, in support of the Afghan people.

Sources revealed that the UN and most foreign embassies, which have backup systems, have switched to satellite links, though bandwidth remains severely limited. The UN has also resorted to radio communications.

According to the sources, all internet access was cut at 5 p.m. local time on Monday. Mobile services — including GSM, 3G, and 4G — also went down. Some Etisalat users briefly retained limited connections, and a few Roshan customers reported sporadic service.