UN announces start of reintegration process for ex-fighters in Afghanistan

The reintegration of former fighters in Afghanistan began today in the capital, Kabul, where over 100 ex-soldiers are expected to rejoin society in the coming days, a spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) said.

David Singh also reported that the disarmament process in Mazar-e-Sharif started yesterday with the participation of 2,000 men.

Meanwhile, an initial group of 2,000 former underage soldiers associated with Afghanistan's fighting forces will this week benefit from a reintegration and rehabilitation programme which is supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). The effort aims to help a total of 5,000 underage soldiers by the end of this year, according to agency spokesman Edward Carwardine.

“Each participant will receive information and advice on options available to him, such as education, vocational training and other skills acquisition, as well as drug abuse prevention and mine risk education,” he said. “Special briefings for the former child soldiers will also explain the civic responsibilities expected of all community members, in an effort to underline the constructive role that these young people can make in the rebuilding of their nation.”

In another development, efforts are under way to bring out more women voters as part of Afghanistan's political process. The Kabul Municipality has organized the use of government buses to take women to registration sites throughout the city early next week.

So far, over 726,000 Afghans have now registered to vote, including nearly 160,000 women, UNAMA reported.