The Afghanistan government signed a peace agreement on Thursday with insurgent group Hezb-i Islami, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The US Embassy applauded [press release] the peace accord as an important step towards ending violence and protecting constitutional rights in the country. The peace negotiations focused on Hezb-i Islami renouncing ties to extremist groups and acts of terrorism in exchange for immunity for acts committed during the war and the removal of Hekmatyar’s name and that of his faction from terrorism blacklists. Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] denounced [press release] the peace agreement as a failure by the Afghan government to pursue accountability for the many victims of actions taken by Hekmatyar in the 1990s. Afghanistan’s chief executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah expressed his hope [Twitter statement] that the peace agreement with Hezb-i Islami would lead to a future peace with the Taliban.

The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan between the government and insurgent groups has created a dangerous environment for Afghan citizens and notably for women and children. In August HRW urged [JURIST report] the government to take immediate steps to curtail the use of schools in military efforts. In July the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that civilian casualties have reached a record high [JURIST report] in the first half of 2016, with more than a third of that number accounting for children. In June three Taliban gunmen attacked [JURIST report] a court building in eastern Afghanistan, killing seven people including a newly appointed chief prosecutor. In August 2015 the UN reported a significant increase [JURIST report] in the number of women and children being hurt or killed in Afghanistan’s war against the Taliban and other insurgents.