Violent poppy clearing sparks backlash in northeastern Afghanistan

From satellite images, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have been successful in slashing opium production, but on the ground, farmers stripped of their livelihoods have resisted anti-narcotics units -- sometimes at the cost of their lives.

The end of last week was marked by violent clashes in mountainous Badakhshan province that left two dead, according to provincial police.

There is only one springtime poppy harvest in Badakhshan, and clashes broke out when anti-narcotic units set out to destroy crops in parts of the rural province.

Police told AFP one person was killed in both Darayim and Argo districts on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

A statement said that in Argo, there was a dispute between Taliban authorities and farmers who had been "manipulated by conspirators".

"The locals threw stones and wood at the Mujahideen (Taliban officials) and tried to burn their vehicles and equipment," a police spokesman said.

"In reaction to that, one local resident was killed."

Residents said another six people were wounded in Argo.

Afghanistan was the largest producer of opium before poppy cultivation was banned in a decree by the Taliban supreme leader in April 2022.

Last year its production plummeted by 95 percent, according to figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) -- an outcome praised by the international community.

But Afghan farmers reliant on the lucrative crop lost 92 percent of their income last year.

Farmers have been encouraged to plant different crops, but none compete with the financial draw of the poppy, leading some to continue to discreetly cultivate small plots.

The ban on poppy cultivation caused the price of opium to skyrocket by 124 percent in one year as of March 2024, reaching an average of $800 to $1,000 per kilogramme, according to the UNODC.

Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announced a high-level committee had been dispatched to investigate the incidents that resulted in last week's "tragic events", adding that the decree to eradicate poppy cultivation "extends to all regions without exception".

A Badakhshan native, ministry of national defence chief of staff Fasihuddin Fitrat, has been named to lead the investigating committee.

- 'Down with the emirate' -

Farmers complain of discrimination when it comes to destruction of their fields, claiming the Taliban authorities turn a blind eye to illicit production by those they have good relations with.

A 29-year-old Argo resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, told AFP that anti-narcotic units "busted into houses, breaking down doors" when they came looking for secret poppy crops.

"When people resisted, they fired on them."

A 45-year-old farmer, also requesting anonymity, said, "The security forces burst into the houses, insulting and beating people".

A third Argo resident complained that authorities came to people's houses on the Muslim day of prayer and "without informing the local elders, community leaders or Imams".

The incident in Darayim sparked a demonstration of several dozen men, some of whom appeared to be carrying a body, according to footage posted on social media.

"Down with the Emirate!" the crowd shouts.

A man asks: "Why was there no coordination? Nobody was opposed to drug eradication when we had meetings with the governor of the province and other officials."

In another video from a demonstration in Darayim district, a protester accused the authorities of spreading "panic in the area, and acted with savagery and lawlessness", before adding, "We have nothing against the government."

- Alternative crops -

Badakhshan had already been shaken last year by unrest related to poppy eradication, which resulted in one death, with similar incidents in eastern Nangarhar province.

"These protests might reveal that farmers are lacking resources to maintain basic needs, therefore alternative crop opportunities might help this situation," a senior UNODC official told AFP.

The Taliban authorities have called on the international community to "cooperate with the Islamic emirate in providing alternatives to those farmers", according to government spokesman Mujahid.

"Unfortunately, no cooperation has been done so far in this regard," he told AFP in December last year, adding that the government's eradication policy would be ensured by providing alternative crops.

"Now, they aren't cultivating (poppies) but, in the future, it cannot be guaranteed because people are facing many problems."

abh-pt/sw/sn