Warning of Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan: 'World Should Reconsider'
The Norwegian Refugee Council has warned that the closure of financial resources by the World Bank and other international donors has left civilians in Afghanistan facing a bleak future.
The foundation's chairman, Jan Egeland, has called on international donors to reconsider their actions. He said the Taliban were unable to control the situation and that civil servants were not receiving any financial support or salaries.
Jan Egeland, who visited Kabul in recent days, warned of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, adding that the country was sinking into a deeper crisis. He called on international donors to reconsider their actions in Afghanistan.
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council called on the countries that have left the country to consider remittances and reactivate Afghanistan's banking system.
"Five percent of the public service budget is provided by the World Bank and Western development institutions. At present, all this aid has stopped and Afghanistan's economy is declining due to Taliban rule, border closures, and other problems." .
This is the first time since the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan that an aid group has called for the lifting of sanctions on the country.
The head of the charity warns that Afghanistan's cold winter is not far off. Most of the families who have been displaced from their homes are living in very poor conditions in the camps.
Mr. Egeland has also visited camps where refugees have been living for many years. He has met with a number of refugees, some of whom have even moved from Helmand to Kabul, and says that although security has improved, they have nothing to eat.
The warning comes as the United Nations says one-third of Afghanistan's 3 million people will face starvation in the near future.
In the six weeks since the Taliban came to power, the public aid system and budget have either run into trouble or collapsed.
The US Treasury Department recently issued two licenses allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, despite concerns about the Taliban's rule, and the Taliban welcomed it.
