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World ‘failing Afghanistan’ during major locust outbreak: aid group
A global aid organization warned Monday that a large-scale plague of locusts is ravaging northern Afghanistan and could destroy 1.2 million metric tons of wheat, almost one-quarter of the country’s annual harvest.
Save the Children said eight million people in Afghanistan have been cut off from food aid in the past two months.
“The escalating situation threatens to plunge millions of people into worsening levels of hunger,” Save the Children said in a statement.
The locust outbreak has come as some 15.3 million people – one-third of the population – are projected to face crisis levels of hunger over the next five months, including 3.2 children, the group said.
It said that the Moroccan locust, one of the world’s most damaging plant pests, has affected eight of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
The locusts have the potential to destroy 1.2 million tons of wheat, approximately one-quarter of the country’s annual harvest at a cost of $480 million.
Without an urgent injection of funding, the country could spiral into famine-like conditions and aid organizations are facing a $2.2 billion shortfall in humanitarian funding to support Afghanistan’s most vulnerable children and families, especially women and girls, the group said.
“The international community owes a debt and has a moral obligation to support Afghan children, women, and families at this dire time. Children are the most affected by this crisis and millions will suffer unless humanitarian assistance is immediately increased,” Arshad Malik, the Save the Children country director, said.
“However, humanitarian aid alone is not a quick fix. The underlying drivers of hunger including resuming development aid and support to the country’s ailing economy will also need to be addressed,” he added.
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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