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Attacks on schools linked to the elections
PRESS RELEASE, Kabul, October 8, 2004
Since June there has been a wave of serious attacks on SCA-supported schools in the provinces Wardak, Baghlan and Laghman. Five of the eight schools are girls’ schools. Most attacks are believed to be linked to the election process.
“It is deeply regrettable that schools are being attacked, in some cases just because they symbolize the election process. In many rural areas schools and clinics are the only community building and therefore a natural location for registration or voting”, says SCA’s Country Director, Jesper Jensen.
In the most recent attack on 5 October, a bomb exploded in Share-Kona girls’ school in Baghlan city, Northern Afghanistan. At least 8 class rooms and two offices were leveled to the ground and remaining rooms were seriously damaged. No person was killed or injured in the attack on the school, which has a total of 617 students in classes 1-6. Police are investigating the incident and SCA will do an independent investigation after the election.
On 28/29 September a mosque in Chak district, Wardak province, was attacked by unknown people. The mosque houses classes for girls. Plastic carpets and black boards used by the students were taken out of the mosque and set on fire. No damage was caused to the mosque and the school is active and running.
On 21 September Charbagh girls school in Laghman province, Qarghaie district, was hit by an explosive device in the above-mentioned area. The building suffered light damage. The headmaster of the school believed that the attack was due to movements of UNAMA registration vehicles in the area.
On 14 August, at night, two bombs exploded in an SCA supported school in Sorobi. Three class rooms were completely destroyed and there was damage to furniture, doors and windows. The attack was carried out by a group of armed men who were fleeing after having killed a person on Jalalabad road. The attack may have been linked to the election, since the school had been used for voting registration.
In June there were a total of four attacks on schools in Wardak province, involving grenades, rockets, burning of tents etc. The attacks were all seen as linked to the election process.
“I believe that the recent attacks are carried out in opposition to the elections rather than targeting the right to education, in particular for girls, although this cannot be ruled out in certain cases“, says Jesper Jensen.
Sangana school in Rokha, Panjshir, was attacked in March 2004. The attack was believed to be the result of political infighting.
The SCA Education Programme has been in operation for almost twenty years and currently supports over 400 schools with 260,000 students and 6400 teachers in Afghanistan. Approximately 30% of students in SCA supported schools are girls.