RASC News Agency: Afghanistan is descending deeper into humanitarian, political, and social collapse under the rule of the Taliban, as despair, poverty, and repression consume nearly every aspect of daily life.
On Monday, an engineer in Kabul reportedly set himself on fire after failing to find work to feed his wife and three children. He later died in hospital. The incident stands as one of the starkest symbols yet of the profound desperation engulfing Afghanistan a country where families are reportedly selling organs to survive and, in some cases, marrying off or selling young daughters simply to secure food.
The World Food Programme has warned that Afghanistan is experiencing “the worst malnutrition crisis ever recorded” in the agency’s six decades of data collection. More than 17 million people are suffering from acute food insecurity, with women and children bearing the heaviest burden.
Although severe drought has intensified the catastrophe, the crisis is fundamentally political and human-made. Critics argue that the Taliban’s governing model is rooted not in institution-building or economic recovery, but in systematic repression particularly against women. According to analysts and rights advocates, the movement’s restrictions on women are not incidental policies but central pillars of its control over society.
Women’s lives continue to deteriorate at an alarming pace. A limited number still work in healthcare and midwifery, yet the long-term sustainability of even these sectors is collapsing because women are increasingly barred from education and professional training. As older generations retire, few replacements exist. Access to basic medical services is therefore rapidly eroding across large parts of the country.
Underground girls’ schools and women-led protest networks continue to operate in secrecy, fearing detection by what observers describe as an expanding Taliban surveillance apparatus. Reports indicate that tens of thousands of surveillance cameras are being installed nationwide, reportedly with Chinese support, while citizens including children are allegedly encouraged to monitor and report on relatives and neighbors.
One woman quoted in a recent rights study said she feared being exposed by members of her own community. The report, conducted by a women’s rights organization, found that more than sixty percent of Afghanistani women no longer feel safe in their daily lives.
As conditions worsen, thousands continue fleeing the country. Afghanistani nationals have remained among the largest groups attempting dangerous migration routes into Europe, including crossings through the English Channel toward the United Kingdom. Simultaneously, Afghanistan is increasingly viewed by international security agencies as a renewed hub for transnational extremism, with concerns over the presence and operational activity of militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and Islamic State Khorasan Province.
Despite the Taliban’s record, signs of gradual international normalization are becoming increasingly visible. Russia has emerged as the first major state to formally recognize Taliban authorities, while China has expanded its diplomatic footprint in Kabul through what observers describe as a de facto functioning embassy relationship. Other governments are also moving toward limited engagement.
European governments, meanwhile, are increasingly prioritizing migration control and deportation frameworks. Several European states have reportedly urged negotiations with Taliban authorities to facilitate the return of migrants, while countries such as Germany have allowed Taliban-linked diplomatic representatives to operate consular functions.
Critics warn that such policies risk legitimizing a regime accused of widespread human rights abuses while ignoring Afghanistan’s underlying instability. Analysts argue that portraying Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as a safe or normal state for returning refugees reflects either profound political denial or dangerous strategic short-sightedness.
The article further warns that deep fractures within the Taliban leadership itself raise serious doubts about the movement’s long-term stability. Should the Taliban experience internal fragmentation without a viable political alternative in place, Afghanistan could descend into even broader chaos creating conditions in which rival militant factions and extremist organizations compete violently for territory and influence.
Three years ago, parts of the international community promoted a conditional engagement strategy that envisioned greater diplomatic interaction in exchange for improved human rights protections, especially regarding women, and dialogue with opposition figures. Critics now argue that Western governments have largely abandoned those conditions in favor of pragmatic engagement without meaningful accountability.
A more coherent international strategy, the article suggests, would involve preserving political leverage over the Taliban while simultaneously encouraging unity among opposition movements and supporting broader political alternatives. Many former officials of the previous Afghanistan’s republic remain active in exile across Europe, yet fragmented opposition structures and limited international backing have prevented the emergence of a unified alternative political platform.
According to the analysis, opening diplomatic channels and permitting Taliban-linked institutions to expand internationally without demanding structural reforms risks strengthening authoritarian rule rather than stabilizing Afghanistan. The article concludes that sustainable peace cannot emerge through accommodation with extremist governance structures accused of systematically violating the rights of their own population.
David Loyn is a senior visiting fellow in the War Studies Department at King’s College London and author of The Long War: The Inside Story of America and Afghanistan Since 9/11.
