Officials said at least four civilians and two police officers are dead in Afghanistan after protests over food distribution escalated into violence.
The clashes occurred Saturday in the province of Ghor, located in central Afghanistan. The protests were over what some see as an unfair food distribution process that favors those with political connections, according to Reuters.
“A delegation will be sent from Kabul to investigate today’s incident in a comprehensive manner,” said Ministry of Interior spokesman Tariq Arian. More than a dozen people were wounded in the incident, according to Gulzaman Nayeb, a lawmaker from the province.
Mohammad Arif Aber, a spokesman for Ghor’s provincial government, said the protests turned into violence after some of the estimated 300 demonstrators began throwing rocks, firing weapons, and attempting to breach the home of the provincial governor, prompting police to begin firing.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission is investigating the clash, according to Shaharzad Akbar, the chairwoman of the commission. Akbar had previously said that her commission had received complaints about the food distribution process.
“We hear repeated complaints from people that the ones who are receiving the limited aid that is there are not the ones that are most deserving, they are the ones who have connections to local authorities or local officials,” she said.
According to official figures, the coronavirus pandemic has infected about 4,000 people in Afghanistan, killing more than 100 residents. The country also grabbed headlines this week after reports emerged that Iranian border guards allegedly tortured and forced dozens of Afghan migrants to drown in a river.
