A week after the Taliban came to power, a catastrophe looms in Afghanistan.

International organizations warn that the supply situation for the people is deteriorating acutely.

They estimate that 18 million people, almost half of the population, depend on humanitarian aid.

The internally displaced people in particular needed support.

550,000 men, women and children have had to leave their homes since the beginning of the year.

For them it is about the supply of food, water, medicine and cash.

Othmara glass

Volunteer

  • Follow I follow

Despite the difficult security situation, most of the humanitarian workers have announced that they will continue their work in Afghanistan.

All United Nations (UN) organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), want to stay in the country, according to the newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

According to the UN Information Office in Geneva, there are around 300 foreign and around 3,000 Afghan employees.

No money to buy relief supplies

German Welthungerhilfe also wants to stay in Afghanistan. 180 employees of the organization are currently still on site. "We gave them the option of leaving the country," said Mathias Mogge, General Secretary of Welthungerhilfe, of the FAZ. "Everyone who wants to should be given an opportunity to leave the country." .

The biggest problem for the helpers is currently the closed banks, says Mogge.

It is impossible to buy relief supplies.

In addition, many employees no longer dared to go into the office due to the unclear security situation.

The closed banks mean that other Afghans can no longer access their savings either.

In addition, the offices of Western Union have ceased their work for the time being.

This means that transfers from abroad are currently not being received.

Food is getting more expensive

The prices for flour, oil and rice have risen by up to 20 percent within a few days.

A few supermarkets are still open, but the cheaper bazaars are often empty.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) assumes that a third of the population is at risk of severe hunger.

The organization said it was able to provide 80,000 people with food in the past week.

The country is also suffering from a persistent drought.

But this is not the only reason why the harvest is at risk.

“Many fields are fallow.

The harvest cannot be brought in, ”says Mogge.

"We assume that the humanitarian situation will worsen."

Children and women are particularly affected by the current situation.

The WHO estimates that more than half of all children under the age of five are malnourished.

Health care is also at risk, and attacks on hospitals are a major problem.

Although the Taliban have promised that women will continue to work under their rule, quite a few have already been fired.

During the first Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, women had virtually no access to medical care.

Doctors and nurses were not allowed to work, men were not officially allowed to treat women.

Evacuation pilots are supposed to bring relief supplies to Kabul

WHO is asking for assistance in delivering medical supplies to Afghanistan.

Because civil air traffic has ceased, 500 tons of cargo could not be brought into the country this week as planned.

These include medicines for pneumonia in children and surgical equipment.

The WHO suggests that empty evacuation aircraft en route to Afghanistan make a stopover at the WHO large warehouse in the United Arab Emirates to take the goods on board.

Mathias Mogge from Welthungerhilfe demands that the federal government start negotiations with the Taliban in order to establish clear framework conditions for the work of aid organizations.

"It is important that humanitarian aid continues and that appropriate funds are released," he says.