Afghans’ Liminal Civil Resistance to Taliban Rule

Author: Prof Michael Semple

While multiple cases of civil resistance have been documented in Afghanistan since 2021, the frequency of outbursts has increased since late 2025. The Taliban have not yet triggered an ‘Afghan Spring’, but nor have they succeeded in coercing the population to submit to their imposed system.

This report notes at least 13 forms of civil resistance undertaken by Afghans in response to Taliban rule. Examples of resistance include sustained and creative women’s activism which has pushed back against restrictions on education and other bans, as well as the myriad activities of civil society activists to defend independent civic space and circumvent restrictions.

Drawing on documented cases, this report draws tentative conclusions about the Afghan experience of civil resistance to the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate and what this tells us about possible pathways to peaceful change.