![]() Overall, more than 90 percent of Afghans have been suffering from some form of food insecurity since last August, skipping meals or whole days of eating and engaging in extreme coping mechanisms to pay for food, including sending children to work. Recently, the WFP reported that tens of thousands of people in one province, Ghor, had slipped into "catastrophic" level-5 acute malnutrition, a precursor to famine. Over one million children under 5 - especially at risk of dying when deprived of food - are suffering from prolonged acute malnutrition, meaning that even if they survive, they face significant health problems, including stunting. The situation is dire, especially if you go to the villages." He said he knew of one family who had lost two children, ages 5 and 2, to starvation in the last two months: "This is unbelievable in 2022." He said that he knew of no shortages in food supplies and that the causes of the crisis were economic: "A functioning banking system is an immediate and crucial need to address the humanitarian crisis."Īlmost 20 million people - half the population - are suffering either level-3 "crisis" or level-4 "emergency" levels of food insecurity under the assessment system of the World Food Programme (WFP). You may not imagine it, but children are starving. An Afghan humanitarian official told Human Rights Watch in mid-July, "People have nothing to eat. ![]() At the same time, because outside donors have severely cut funding to support Afghanistan health, education, and other essential sectors, millions of Afghans have lost their incomes.Īcute malnutrition is entrenched across Afghanistan, even though food and basic supplies are available in markets throughout the country. ![]() Businesses, humanitarian groups, and private banks continue to report extensive restrictions on their operational capacities. As a result, the country continues to suffer from a major liquidity crisis and lack of banknotes. "Regardless of the Taliban's status or credibility with outside governments, international economic restrictions are still driving the country's catastrophe and hurting the Afghan people."ĭespite actions by the US and others to license banking transactions with Afghan entities, Afghanistan's central bank remains unable to access its foreign currency reserves or process or receive most international transactions. "Afghanistan's intensifying hunger and health crisis is urgent and at its root a banking crisis," said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. The US air strike on July 30, 2022, killing the al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, should not derail ongoing discussions between the US and Afghanistan to urgently reach an agreement allowing ordinary Afghans to engage in legitimate commercial activity. The US and other governments and the World Bank Group revoked the credentials of the Central Bank of Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover on August 15, 2021. Human Rights Watch issued an updated question-and-answer document outlining the economic crisis and steps to overcome it. (Washington, DC) - Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis cannot be effectively addressed unless the United States and other governments ease restrictions on the country's banking sector to facilitate legitimate economic activity and humanitarian aid, Human Rights Watch said today. ![]() Governments, Taliban Need to Reach Urgent Agreement on Banking Issues
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