In Ghazni, a town located 145 kilometers south of Kabul, the new provincial head of culture and media walks around ten kilometers on dirt roads every day. Before joining the main road to hail a vehicle that will take him to his place of work. “I don’t even have enough to pay for a motorbike,” he said, adding, “I don’t have a salary either.” Like him, there are tens of thousands of Taliban, whose movement has taken over the helm of the state for 4 and a half months, to live on their own. In the Afghan capital, most of the young fighters who guard sensitive places are fed by the Emirati multinational Alokozai: the latter has undertaken to help the new authorities for a few months, the time for them to find a solution to fill the coffers. of State.
But many ordinary citizens face a much more dramatic situation. With the onset of winter, and freezing temperatures, the country, on the brink of collapse, faces its most serious economic and humanitarian crisis since the 1990s and the civil war. According to the United Nations, 23 million Afghans, or more than half of the population, suffer from extreme levels of hunger, of which nearly 9 million are at risk of famine in the coming months. Among them, 1 million children might die of malnutrition, according to the UN.
Western pressures on women’s rights
“The effects of the crisis in Afghanistan might be felt as far as Europe, because the population is now faced with the choice of famine or emigration,” warns former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who calls for a support of 4 billion euros – which would pass through Ocha, the United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. Since the capture of Kabul by the Taliban on August 15, Western support for Afghanistan has all but disappeared. “However, for twenty years, the state budget depended almost entirely on foreign aid. By withdrawing, the international community has suffocated the country,” notes Isabelle Moussard Carlsen, director of Ocha, in Kabul.
Limited offer. 2 months for 1 € without commitment
The main aid provider, the United States froze the Afghan state’s foreign bank assets, amounting to 9 billion euros. The financial system collapsed, causing runaway inflation. The West says it is ready to restore aid, but is pressuring the Taliban to guarantee basic human rights, including lifting restrictions that now prevent women from working, going to school, and move around freely.
L’application L’Express
To follow the analysis and decryption wherever you are
Download the app
“If hunger and economic problems persist, if the Afghans do not feel like a future, the year 2022 might well see war return to this country, however for the first time at peace in more than forty years. Taliban are immense, much more than these last twenty years “, underlines a Western diplomat who recently left Kabul. In the meantime, the country’s new masters are approaching Qatar, Turkey, Russia and China, whose diplomatic representations have remained open even at a minimum, unlike the Western embassies, which have been closed since August.
Opinions
Chronic
Chronic
Chronic
Ultimatum
