Ekeomah Atuonwu
On Saturday, dozens of female students and teachers marched in front of Afghanistan’s education ministry in Kabul.
The women protested the Taliban’s decision to close girl’s secondary schools just hours after reopening them earlier in the week, holding signs that read “education is our right.”
The Taliban’s decision reversed their previous commitment to open girls’ high schools.
Following that decision, the US abruptly canceled meetings with the Taliban in Doha scheduled to address key economic issues on Friday.
According to news reports, the talks were set to include a discussion of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding currently held in a World Bank Trust Fund for Afghanistan’s education sector.
Malala Yousafzai, an activist and Nobel laureate, delivered the following message to the Taliban at the Doha forum: “I would just say one thing to the Taliban (speaks in Arabic): Seeking education is a duty of every Muslim.”
“I believe in peace talks and dialogue, but I also believe that they should not be recognized if they do not recognize the human rights of women and girls.”
The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan on Saturday said he was hopeful that there will be a reversal of the Taliban’s decision in coming days.
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