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Hunger and poverty surge in Afghanistan as drought persists
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has called for increased global support to stem spiraling hunger in Afghanistan as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises threatens millions.
As part of their ongoing support, the IFRC has appealed to the international community for 80 million Swiss francs ($82.5 million) to support the Afghan Red Crescent to deliver emergency relief, health services and recovery assistance to more than one million people in the provinces hit by multiple crises.
Amidst mounting poverty, 70 percent of households are unable to meet basic food and non-food needs, with particularly devastating effects for homes headed by widows, the elderly, people with disabilities, and children.
An estimated three million children are at risk of malnutrition and susceptible to diseases while thousands of people have resorted to begging in the streets.
Dr Mohammad Nabi Burhan, Secretary General of Afghan Red Crescent, said: “It is horrifying to see the extent of hunger and resurgence of poverty that we have fought so hard to eradicate.
“It is particularly worrying for Afghans in rural and remote areas, where some of the country’s poorest communities face widespread destitution and very high levels of malnutrition after their crops failed or livestock perished.
“A lack of food should not be a cause of death in Afghanistan. There needs to be a concerted international effort to continue critical humanitarian assistance across the country so that lives can be saved,” he said.
Afghan Red Crescent is ramping up its response operation using available funds, giving immediate priority being on food and cash distributions as well as providing health services via more than 140 health facilities across Afghanistan. However, the latest reports show much more assistance will be needed.
Necephor Mghendi, IFRC’s Head of Delegation for Afghanistan, said: “As well as providing critical relief to people struggling in the face of severe drought and hunger, livelihood interventions should be supported to enable people to restore means of earning an income.
“There is also a need for investment in local institutions that deliver vital services in the cities as well as remote areas. Locally staffed, well-functioning institutions are proven to help the most vulnerable, including children, women, and the elderly in every corner of Afghanistan.”
The construction work of the second phase of the fourth section of the Khaf-Herat railway project, connecting Afghanistan with Iran, has been inaugurated.
The segment is 47-kilometer long, stretching from Rabat Parian to Herat International Airport and the Industrial Town.
It will be constructed at the cost of $53 million and within approximately two years.
Its contract had been signed between Afghanistan Railway Authority and Gamma Group in late March.
Upon its completion, this segment will integrate the Khaf-Herat regional connectivity project with Iran’s significant seaports and facilitate access to Europe via the Turkish railway network.
Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said that Afghanistan belongs to all Afghans and a government consisting of representatives of all ethnic groups should be established in the country.
“We have clearly stated that Afghanistan is for all Afghans, and if we want to not return to the conditions of Bonn, we must pay attention to this issue,” Qomi said while addressing Afghan refugees in Qom city, ISNA news agency reported.
The envoy emphasized that Iran, while engaging with the Islamic Emirate, also gives its advice to the new rulers of Afghanistan.
“A government consisting of righteous people from all ethnic groups can be the key to political stability and the beginning of construction in Afghanistan, which the Islamic Republic is pursuing the same policy,” he said.
Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan also pointed to Daesh and accused the United States of continuing its interventionist and destabilizing policies in Afghanistan and said: “Today the Americans are doing more evil in Afghanistan than in the past.”
Qomi stated that the cost of America’s interventionist policies in the region are borne by the people of Afghanistan.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the political deputy prime minister, said on Saturday that the visit of high-ranking officials of the Islamic Emirate to countries shows that the Islamic Emirate wants to engage with the world, including neighboring and regional countries, based on political, economic and cultural relations.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi, who recently traveled to Russia’s Tatarstan to participate in an international economic meeting.
Azizi said his trip to Russia was full of achievements in the areas of exports and trade, adding that Russian companies and institutions expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan.
He added that he represented the Islamic Emirate well during the visit and assured the participants of the “Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024” that there is a good opportunity for investment in Afghanistan.
The 15th edition of Kazan Forum was held in Tatarstan with the participation of representatives of 80 nations to discuss economic and social relations.
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