November 04, 2022

Before deadly winter, Afghans suffer from international abandonment

topic:	Political violence
located:	Afghanistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

As the harsh winter encroaches on war-weary Afghans, who are already struggling with widespread poverty and hunger, humanitarian agencies’ desperate calls for urgent aid continue to fall on deaf ears. One year after the US departure, Afghanistan has become an ignored humanitarian catastrophe not only due to the Taliban takeover, but also because the global community has abandoned its mission to provide assistance to those caught in the crossfire.

Children are bearing the brunt of this misplaced international isolation, as harrowing accounts reveal that the amount of dangerously malnourished children is soaring, with some babies perishing before managing to receive any treatment. 

Under the current administration, the healthcare system is in shambles and there is simply no job market for the country’s otherwise promising young population to build a future for themselves and their families. An astonishing three million people have been displaced by the violence of war, while those who have remained in place are lacking in basic needs.

Under these helpless circumstances, many fear that Afghans living in remote towns and villages, which are sustained by aid agencies, will lose many lives in the harsh conditions of the winter.  Is the international isolation and abandonment of the whole country the only way to pressure the Taliban to guarantee human rights?

We, as global citizens, need to press our governments for a resolution to this stalemate regarding the sanctions and the pending recognition of the Taliban government, rather than deflecting our responsibilities with promises of charity.

Afghanistan will only be able to use its available resources of agriculture, mining and energy to avoid this recurrent calamity if the major international players and its neighbours prioritise development policies over negligence and exploitation.

Obviously and understandably, the Taliban’s harsh rule does not deserve immediate endorsements and recognition. However, without any initiatives from international agencies to politically engage and compel the group to implement democratic norms, the only alternative is to leave millions of vulnerable people at the Taliban's mercy.

With regards to their primary claim of bringing peace to the country, the Taliban has miserably failed as a government in their first year in power, as it has not provided liberties or services to its constituents. And yet, the international community has been complacent in this failure with its failed commitment to aid and sabotaging of the country’s economy.

Photo by Farid Ershad

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