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UNHCR warns of looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the escalating conflict brings increased human suffering and civilian displacement.
 
An estimated 270,000 Afghans have been newly displaced inside the country since January 2021 – primarily due to insecurity and violence –  bringing the total uprooted population to over 3.5 million, the UNHCR said in a statement Tuesday.
 
Families forced to flee their homes in recent weeks cite the worsening security situation as the predominant reason for their flight.
 
In addition to ongoing fighting, displaced civilians have told UNHCR and partners of incidents of extortion by non-state armed groups and the presence of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on major roads. Many have reported interruptions to social services and a loss of income due to rising insecurity.
 
The number of civilian casualties has risen 29 percent during the first quarter of this year compared to 2020, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). An increasing proportion of women and children were among those targeted.  
 
The needs of those who have had to flee suddenly are acute, UNHCR said in the statement adding that the organization and its partners are assisting newly displaced Afghans with emergency shelter, food, health, water and sanitation support and cash assistance.
 
The UNHCR also warned that a failure to reach a peace agreement in Afghanistan and stem the current violence will lead to further displacement within the country, as well as to neighbouring countries and beyond.
 
The organization in turn called on the international community to step up support to the Afghan government and the people at this critical moment, in a spirit of solidarity and burden-sharing.
 
“Humanitarian resources are currently falling dramatically short. UNHCR’s financial appeal for the Afghanistan situation (including operations for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran) remains acutely underfunded, at only 43 percent of a total $337 million required,” the statement read.

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Afghan national admits to Munich car attack that injured 39

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A 24-year-old Afghan man who drove a car into a crowd at a demonstration in Germany’s Munich on Thursday has confessed that he deliberately did it, a prosecutor said.

A total of 39 people were wounded in the incident, according to police.

Two are in a critical condition, including a child, and a further eight are in a serious condition, police spokesman Guido Limmer told reporters.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and several regional leaders visited the scene on Friday morning, all laying flowers.

“The brutality of this act has left us deeply disturbed and bewildered,” Steinmeier said in a statement, noting that it appeared the suspect had “wanted to kill and injure people indiscriminately”.

“The perpetrator is in custody and will be brought to justice in accordance with the law,” he said.

The suspect was said to have arrived in Germany in 2016 at the height of the mass migrant influx to Europe.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.

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US, China in dispute over who should draft UNSC resolutions on Afghanistan

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Richard Gowan, the UN Director at the International Crisis Group, said on Friday that United States and China have been at odds over who should draft Afghanistan resolutions in the Security Council, adding that the debate has escalated since President Donald Trump took office.

In an article published on the website of an American organization called Just Security, Gowan wrote that the dispute has significant implications not only for how the UN engages with the Islamic Emirate in Kabul, but also for how Beijing positions itself as a leading power in the Security Council.

In UN parlance, penholders are the council members that “initiate and chair” the drafting of mandates, tabling the initial versions of texts for negotiations. The nation that “holds the pen” on a given file has significant leeway to set the terms for how the council approaches a peace operation or sanctions regime.

China, to date, has stood apart from the other permanent members. While it co-drafted some resolutions with the United States on North Korea in the 2010s, it has wielded the pen on no other country-specific issues on the council agenda.

This is despite the fact that Beijing has become more willing to assert itself in other ways in the council – such as casting its veto – in recent decades. 

However, last fall, China indicated that it wished to act as penholder on Afghanistan.

Beijing has a number of reasons to focus on Afghanistan and the U.N. Assistance Mission there (UNAMA). Beijing appears to see a continuing U.N. presence in Afghanistan as suiting its interests. Beijing is both wary about Afghanistan as a potential haven for terrorists, and intrigued by its mineral wealth, according to Gowan.

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Russian FM: Situation in Afghanistan poses serious threat to neighboring countries

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan, saying it poses a serious threat to neighboring countries.

During a meeting with Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister, Lavrov emphasized the need for cooperation to address security threats in the Central Asian region, particularly in Afghanistan.

He specifically mentioned Russia and Tajikistan as countries that could be affected by the instability in Afghanistan.

He added that cooperation within multilateral frameworks, such as the Moscow Format on Afghanistan, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is essential to counter these threats.

Meanwhile, Russia and Tajikistan have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism and drug trafficking.

However, the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called these concerns unfounded and consistently emphasized that it will never allow Afghan soil to be used against other countries.

Earlier, the IEA stated that regional joint efforts are necessary to eradicate terrorism.

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