Marking five years since their return to power, Taliban leaders celebrated in Kabul with military displays on August 15, 2026. Simultaneously, the United Nations denounced severe restrictions on fundamental rights, and France condemned the regime’s gender-based oppression, highlighting an ongoing humanitarian crisis marked by acute hunger and repression.
Five years after insurgent forces entered Kaboul without resistance on August 15, 2021, following the departure of American forces and the flight of then-President Ashraf Ghani, the de facto government marked its anniversary with public displays. Convoys of motorcycles, cars, and rickshaws bearing the black-and-white flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan traversed the capital on Saturday, August 15, 2026. Armed security personnel stood watch near the former American embassy, where crowds of male partisans and children gathered under the gaze of soldiers perched atop abandoned American-supplied Humvees.
International Condemnation and UN Warnings Over Humanitarian Crisis
While regime officials promoted improvements in domestic security following decades of conflict, international bodies and human rights organizations presented a starkly different reality. The United Nations reported that nearly 14 million Afghans face acute hunger. This severe food insecurity has been intensified by climate change and conflict with Pakistan, which has resulted in civilian casualties and disrupted commercial trade.
Human rights monitors emphasize that the population endures an atmosphere of pervasive fear driven by strict enforcement of the sharia. According to Amnesty International, the administration has issued approximately 470 decrees over its five years in power that restrict the rights of women and girls. These policies include an effective ban on secondary and higher education for females past primary school, restrictions on public movement in parks, and exclusion from numerous professions.
The Afghans have suffered over the past five years the introduction and consolidation of suffocating restrictions in almost every area of their lives and human rights. Fiona Frazer, human rights director for the UN mission in Afghanistan
Further compounding these hardships, human rights advocates point to systemic discrimination in the distribution of crucial humanitarian aid across a population where half the inhabitants require assistance and nearly all children experience nutritional needs.
Judicial Collapse and Restrictions on Minority Groups
The institutional framework underpinning these restrictions relies on what international observers characterize as a collapsed formal judiciary. Religious courts operating under a strict interpretation of Islamic law leave citizens—particularly women—with virtually no legal recourse against domestic violence or abuses. Legal barriers prevent women from filing complaints unless they present visible, severe injuries and secure the accompaniment of a man.
Recent legislative measures have further codified these limitations. Amnesty International highlighted a decree concerning marriage dissolutions, noting that if a child is married off and fails to formally express non-consent before turning 12 years old, the marriage is legally deemed consensual and irrevocable.
Beyond gender-based restrictions, minority communities face targeted campaigns. The UN mission and local organizations documented instances where more than 250 individuals belonging to religious minorities were compelled to convert to the Sunni branch of Islam. Journalists also continue to face intense pressure, enduring sustained crackdowns for criticizing official policies.
Diplomatic Appeals and Official Stances
Amid these developments, diplomatic channels remain strained but active in specific sectors. In an interview, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi asserted that the chapter of war is finished, while urging the United States to reopen its embassy and resume economic investment.
Western governments responded to the anniversary with sharp rebukes. France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a formal statement condemning the gender-based governance structure.
France condemns with the utmost firmness the system of oppression based on gender targeting women. Quai d’Orsay, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Paris reiterated its solidarity with the Afghan population and called upon the authorities in Kabul to adhere to their international obligations, setting the stage for continued diplomatic friction as the administration enters its sixth year in power.
