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Nakamura’s legacy revived as leprosy care resumes in Afghanistan
Disturbed by the hardships of their long journeys, Nakamura began establishing clinics in Afghanistan during the 1990s. But worsening security forced leprosy treatment to halt in 2010.
Six years after the killing of renowned Japanese humanitarian doctor Tetsu Nakamura, his earliest mission in Afghanistan—providing care for leprosy patients—has been brought back to life.
Ahead of the sixth anniversary of Nakamura’s death on December 4, his colleagues have reopened leprosy services in eastern Afghanistan, marking the first time in 15 years that dedicated treatment has been available locally.
On November 1, the Tetsu Nakamura Memorial Leprosy Center officially opened in Jalalabad. A three-story private residence has been fully renovated to house treatment rooms and separate five-bed wards for men and women. The facility is jointly operated by Peshawar-kai, the Fukuoka-based NGO, and Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS), the local organisation Nakamura founded.
Staff at the new center include two doctors, three nurses, and 19 local employees. The name of the center was chosen unanimously, reflecting their shared commitment to carry forward Nakamura’s guiding motto: “Continue all of Dr. Nakamura’s projects and carry forward all hopes.”
Before the opening, Chiyoko Fujita, head of the PMS support office, urged the staff to embrace the responsibility handed down to them: “Patients’ lives are in your hands.”
From leprosy care to life-saving irrigation
Nakamura’s humanitarian journey began in 1984 when he was assigned to a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, where he oversaw the leprosy ward. Patients from remote Afghan mountain regions—where no medical services existed—soon began crossing the border in growing numbers.
Disturbed by the hardships of their long journeys, Nakamura began establishing clinics in Afghanistan during the 1990s. But worsening security forced leprosy treatment to halt in 2010.
Amid a devastating drought in 2000, Nakamura shifted focus to irrigation, launching the transformative Green Ground Project in 2003 to channel river water into parched farmland. Irrigation and water management became the core of his work in the years that followed.
Even shortly before being shot dead in 2019, alolng with his four security guards and his driver, Nakamura reportedly said: “We must build a leprosy center.”
A renewed mission
Since Nakamura’s death, Peshawar-kai and PMS have continued his irrigation and medical initiatives. Improved security conditions and a request from provincial authorities paved the way for reopening leprosy services.
Newly recruited staff are now undergoing specialised training, with plans to expand into mobile clinics and inpatient care. Early detection remains a challenge, especially because cultural norms often prevent women from being examined by male doctors.
“We will focus on training female nurses and ensure these skills are passed on,” Fujita said.
PMS general director Masaru Murakami said the reopening marks a turning point after years of uncertainty. “Now we can finally resume treatment. With Nakamura’s will—to sustain life and keep this light alive—we want to move forward,” he said.
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UNAMA calls for greater transparency and accountability in Afghanistan’s security institutions
The report also says fear of reprisals, a lack of trust in authorities and barriers to accessing institutions discourage people from reporting alleged misconduct.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to strengthen transparency, oversight and accountability within the country’s security institutions.
In a new 38-page report, UNAMA examines measures taken by the IEA since August 2021 to oversee security institutions and address misconduct by security personnel.
The report says the authorities have taken some steps to promote discipline and oversight, including issuing directives, establishing internal monitoring units and creating new bodies tasked with addressing misconduct by security personnel.
However, UNAMA says these measures have not been accompanied by sufficient public information about complaints, investigations and disciplinary or judicial actions.
The report identifies several bodies responsible for oversight, including the Security and Filtration Commission, the High Directorate of Supervision and Monitoring of Decrees and Edicts, the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Commission for Hearing Complaints, and the Supreme Court.
“The limited amount of public information on complaints received, investigations conducted, and disciplinary or judicial actions taken by relevant de facto bodies undermine confidence and weaken deterrence,” said Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge.
UNAMA documented cases in which IEA authorities arrested and investigated security personnel accused of misconduct and referred some cases to military courts. However, the mission said many complaints reportedly remain unresolved.
The report also says fear of reprisals, a lack of trust in authorities and barriers to accessing institutions discourage people from reporting alleged misconduct. Women, in particular, face additional obstacles because of restrictions affecting their daily lives, UNAMA said.
UNAMA has recommended that the IEA authorities establish and consistently enforce clear rules and codes of conduct for security personnel, in line with international standards. It also called for clearer regulations governing the use of force, arrests, detention, searches and crowd control.
The UN mission further urged the authorities to establish safe, accessible and inclusive complaint mechanisms that allow people to report misconduct without fear of retaliation or discrimination, while protecting victims, witnesses and whistleblowers.
UNAMA also called for regular public reporting on complaints, investigations and disciplinary or judicial measures, as well as stronger systems for collecting and maintaining data on misconduct.
According to the report, greater transparency and consistent accountability could improve professionalism, strengthen public trust in security institutions and contribute to better governance, respect for human rights and Afghanistan’s engagement with the international community.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs has announced that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the purchase of gas under the TAPI project was signed on Monday in Torghundi, Herat province, between the state-owned Afghan Gas Company and
Turkmenistan’s Türkmengaz Company, in the presence of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of Turkmenistan.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, the MoU will determine the price of gas, the required volume of gas, and the gas distribution process.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, during his visit to Herat province, met with Turkmenistan’s National Leader, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, in Torghundi on Monday to discuss the latest progress on the TAPI project and future economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
According to a statement from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Baradar said during the meeting that work on the TAPI project in Herat is progressing well and that the remaining work is expected to be completed within the scheduled timeframe.
Baradar urged the Turkmen side to reach an agreement on the price of gas and called for the gas pricing formula to be adjusted in a way that would prevent sharp fluctuations in European markets from affecting gas prices.
He also proposed that the gas agreement be concluded for a long-term period, with simple terms and a flexible mechanism for reviewing the contract.
Baradar called for Turkmenistan’s cooperation in constructing a gas distribution and consumption network in Herat, establishing a joint technical and legal commission to address the remaining issues related to the TAPI project, and making joint efforts to create more job opportunities for Afghans through the project.
He said the TAPI project has strengthened strategic cooperation between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan and stressed the need for the two sides to work together to expand trade by reopening the Aqina border crossing for oil transit, facilitating Afghan transit goods at the Turkmenbashi port, resolving existing obstacles to the reactivation of the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, and rebuilding and expanding the Herat–Torghundi railway.
Baradar also called on Turkmenistan to support major economic projects in Afghanistan in the electricity and transport sectors.
During the meeting, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said relations between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have been strengthened on the basis of goodwill and good-neighborly relations, creating opportunities for cooperation in various fields.
Berd Berdimuhamedov added that Turkmenistan is ready to cooperate not only on extending the TAPI pipeline to Herat, but also on constructing a gas distribution network in the province and launching practical work on the TAP project. He said a number of foreign companies have expressed readiness to invest in the TAP project.
He further said Ashgabat is ready to provide all necessary facilities at Turkmenbashi port for Afghan transit and commercial goods.
He also stressed the need for joint efforts to reactivate the Lapis Lazuli Corridor to boost trade between the two countries and the wider region.
He assured the Afghan side that work on projects already launched in Afghanistan’s electricity and railway sectors would be completed on schedule and at an accelerated pace.
At the end of the meeting, the two sides agreed to establish a technical committee led by senior officials to follow up on and implement the TAPI, TAP, fiber-optic and railway projects and ensure that work on these projects progresses more effectively.
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