Immediately restore internet access, UNAMA urges Kabul

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday appealed the interim Afghan government to immediately restore internet and telecommunications access across the country/

The UN mission warned that the blackout was crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting aviation.

Afghanistan faced a second day on Tuesday without internet and mobile phone services as the blackout imposed by the government in Kabul left the nation almost entirely cut off from the outside world.

The outage was the first nationwide shutdown since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan returned to power in August 2021.

The disruption threatened economic stability and deepened one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, said the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The UN said such restrictions further undermine freedom of expression and the right to information. It noted that telecommunications are also crucial during disasters — Afghanistan has recently suffered major earthquakes in the east and is struggling with mass forced returns from neighboring countries.

The UN mission said the internet outage spread since it was first imposed on Sept. 16 and became nationwide on Sept. 29. The mission said it would continue to press Afghanistan’s authorities to restore access “in support of the Afghan people.”

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