This story is adapted for English Language Learners from the ReliefWeb website.
A local [ محلی ] peace plan has ended a
long conflict [ درگیری ] in Laghman, Afghanistan. The local peace plan shows how communities [ جامعه ] can shape their future through working together, even when there is still fighting in other parts of the country.For 4 years, clans [ قبیله ] have been fighting each other in the hills of the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan’s eastern Laghman province. Schools were closed, and waterlines destroyed [ نابود کردن ] by bullets. When the snow began to melt [ ذوب کردن ] in the spring, local people thought more fighting would start again. But then something surprising happened: everyone agreed [ موافقت کردن ] to talk.
The result [ نتيجه ] was peace! Equally [ به همان اندازه ] important, Afghan women were a part of the peace talks and helped them succeed [ موفق باش ].
To help the two fighting clans find peace, officials from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) met with the clans. Local elders [ بزرگان ] and peace activists [ فعال ] helped them. After several months of talks, the 2 clans agreed to hold a loya jirga.
“What happened in Laghman is inspiring [ الهام بخش ] because it showed us that we can do more for peace than we thought we could do. It also showed us the role of women in peace talks,” said a worker for the United Nations. “We hope that others in eastern Afghanistan will follow this example.”
When the clans were working on an agreement [ توافق ] for peace, people who did not live in the area were asked to not interfere [ مداخله کردن ] and to let local people make their own peace. In the end, everyone respected [ توجه ] this request [ درخواست ].
The three-day loya jirga in May resulted in a peace agreement [ توافق ] and a ceasefire [ آتش بس ]. United Nations officials at the jirga praised [ ستودن ] local mediators [ واسطه ] and called the peace agreement an example of how local peace building could create [ ساختن ] areas of peace that cannot be changed by others.
Another strong step of progress was that women from both clans participated [ شرکت کردن ] in the three-day jirga and also had their own meetings. The women worked with each other to find real solutions [ راه حل ] to fighting and war.
One woman said, “I did not leave my village for 45 years, or leave my home for the last 4 years. Going to this peace meeting opened my eyes. I’ve been inspired [ الهام گرفته ] by conversations [ گفتگو ] with other women on how to make a better world for our children.”
The peace agreement will help nearly 20 local villages and let hundreds of children go to school again. This peace agreement is a sign of hope for all of Afghanistan.