Members of the Helmand Peace Convoy on Saturday said they will continue their sit-in protest outside the US embassy until contact has been made with embassy officials and US Congress members.

The peace activists initially said they would spend three days outside different missions and embassies in Kabul in a bid to be heard.

Their first stop was outside the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) offices. On Wednesday morning they moved on to the US embassy.

However, on Friday they said they would remain outside the US embassy until contact had been made.

The activists reiterated their decision on Saturday, and said they would only move on once their demands had been stated.

The activists also said they had made contact with a number of Afghans living in the US in the hope they would also launch demonstrations in America in support of the peace convoy.  

“We have talked with Afghans in the US and want to also achieve our goals this way,” Mohammad Iqbal Khyber, the peace convoy leader said.  

The Helmand Peace Convoy first launched a demonstration in Lashkargah city after a deadly bombing at a stadium in late March.

About a month later, a group of eight protestors left Helmand on foot for Kabul, spreading messages of peace.

The activists walked through towns and villages, crossed provinces and met with residents along the way and as they progressed, so their numbers grew.

About 700km later, the group of eight had grown to an estimated 100 – whose ages range from 17 to 65. 

Speaking about why he decided to join the convoy, one activist Habiburrahman Albadar said: “We have also suffered the pains that other people did. We should feel the pain of others, otherwise we will suffer because of these pains.”

The peace activists have said once they have presented their demands to US officials they will move on to the Russian embassy in Kabul.