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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed the former president of Kyrgyzstan to become the new UN special envoy to Afghanistan. The new special envoy will replace Deborah Lyons, who already stepped down back in June.
The UN issued a statement naming former Kyrgyzstan President Roza Otunbayeva as the new UN special envoy for Afghanistan, replacing Lyons. Otunbayeva also served as Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister.
Otunbayeva’s appointment to become the new UN envoy for Afghanistan comes at a time when the country continues to face a worsening humanitarian and economic crisis.
The crisis worsened last year as the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan on the heels of the west’s military withdrawal from the country led by the United States after nearly 20 years of conflict.
Afghanistan has also experienced domestic attacks on its religious minorities. The latest attack took place Friday last week near a mosque in western Afghanistan, killing at least 18 people and wounding 23 injured, interior ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor told Reuters.
The victims in the blast at Herat included a pro-Taliban cleric who was going to the mosque for Friday prayers.
A senior US official said last week that the Biden administration would temporarily stop the temporary relocation of Afghans to the United States, instead focusing on reuniting immediate family members with pathways to citizenship.
The revised policy follows criticism from lawmakers, refugee organizations, and rights groups, that the Biden administration failed to properly plan the evacuation of Afghans who are at risk of reprisals from the insurgent group when it withdrew its military presence from Afghanistan last year.
The administration continues to maintain that the withdrawal was a success, citing that nearly 90,000 Afghans resettled in the United States in what would be the first large-scale operation.
The official reiterated that the administration remains committed to US allies in Afghanistan, adding that there is no deadline for the commitment. The revised policy is set to take effect on October 1.
The exceptions to the revised policy include Afghans who are on humanitarian parole – the program that grants temporary entry but no pathway to lawful permanent residence.
