A color revolution in Afghanistan

Taliban authorities decreed taxi drivers must change the yellow color of their cars into turquoise, a move that sparked anger all over the country as taxi drivers say this means unforeseen costs for paint jobs while their income plummeted since the Taliban seized power.

Taxi drivers were cited by press agencies saying that the already frail economy took a disastrous hit once the Taliban regained power and that the number of customers was automatically reduced by half because of the restrictions the Taliban imposed on women’s freedom of movement.

The official explanation given by the Taliban was that the change in color for the taxis is aimed at combating crime, because vehicles posing as taxis have been used in kidnappings and robberies in recent years.

“If we have a specific color for all taxis, it will help eliminate the cases of kidnapping, other crimes, and insecurity,” Mohammad Nabi Omari, the Taliban’s deputy interior minister, said in a press conference in Kabul. He added that all taxis will need to undergo a technical inspection, in order for the owners to be issued new operating licenses.

Afghans have criticized the Taliban and consider the change in color for the taxi a trivial issue as the country is suffering from a major humanitarian crisis and has been classified as a “hunger hotspot” by the United Nations. According to the International Red Cross, around 1 million people have lost their jobs and nearly 90 percent of those employed earn less than $1.90 a day, since the Taliban seized power.

This is the latest in a string of measures taken by the Taliban that provoked anger in the country from the closing of video-game parlors and shops selling foreign movies, TV shows, and music to the closing of sheesha cafes and restaurants run by women.