Afghanistan: the threat of an economic crisis hangs over Kabul
Audio 01:19
There is hardly a bank note circulating in the Afghan capital Kabul;
in the panic of the arrival of the Taliban, banking establishments have barricaded themselves.
AFP - HOSHANG HASHIMI
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
On the sidelines of the humanitarian crisis, is the city of Kabul preparing for an economic crisis?
There is hardly a bank note circulating in the Afghan capital;
in the panic of the arrival of the Taliban, banking establishments have barricaded themselves.
Nothing has reopened and the people of Kabul are on the verge of bankruptcy.
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With our special correspondent in Kabul,
Vincent Souriau
We are on Bank Street, as it is nicknamed, Kabul's banking street.
But it's not even worth trying, everything closed a week ago.
The gates are lowered, the distributors are out of service.
And if this man comes to see us, it's because he can't stop it: no more liquid, no more food for his family.
“
We're starting to have problems
,” he says.
One of my uncles gave me
2,000 afghanis, that's about $ 20.
With that, I do what I can… I buy a little bread, some rice for my children, but we are at the end of what we have.
I am looking for a solution, I keep looking for a solution.
"
► To read also: Evacuations from Afghanistan: what means of pressure do the West have on the Taliban?
There are also those who benefit from it.
Wahidullah, smiling on his plastic chair, casually waves a large wad of cash.
Broker, loan shark, pawnshop, we don't really know what he's up to.
And when asked how he obtains change when there is no more in Kabul, he prefers to dodge the question: "
I'm managing, it's not really official, I know people who had made reserves before the crisis and… we help each other.
"
According to the testimonies gathered, the price of staple foods, oil, rice, flour has climbed by 15 to 20% since the Taliban seizure of power.
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Afghanistan
Taliban
Economic crisis