The Durand Line: The Impact of a Contentious Border
Pakistan has been busy for the last nine years fencing off the 2,640-kilometre Durand Line with Afghanistan, creating a barrier that runs right through the heart of Pashtunistan, the homelands of the Pashtun people. How does this controversial border fence shape the lives of the people living on both sides?
Saadat Mousavi | 21 Sep 2026
Waiting On the Water
A boat rests quietly on the calm waters of Haarlem, in the Netherlands. From afar, it might look like any ordinary vessel. But inside, it holds stories of loss, survival, and the heavy weight of uncertainty. ‘Waiting is a quiet battle. You wake up every morning not knowing what your future will be.’
Fanuael Hailemariam | 9 Apr 2026
A Song Beyond the Border
How does it feel to grow up at a crossroads between borders? ‘The region is like an apple cut into two halves’, writes the Afghan journalist Saadat Mousavi in his poetic essay about life on the bank of the Amu Darya. ‘The river is a witness to our connectedness.’
Saadat Mousavi | 18 Mar 2026
Selling Hamburgers on the Mitrovica Bridge
From their hamburger shack on the bridge of Mitrovica, Šućo and Suad can oversee both the Serbian and the Albanian part of their city. The clientele of their hamburger business has decreased rapidly. “Albanian people crazy, Serbian people stupid.”
Jorie Horsthuis | 1 Feb 2008