Roadblocks, roadside bombs, ambushes and kidnappings were the kinds of threats faced by humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan for two decades during the Taliban insurgency. Parts of the country were completely unrestricted as the conflict fell and began to flow, and even on open roads the risk of ammunition remained real. Last August, however, the Taliban invaded power, effectively ending the war and facilitating security for millions of people as well as humanitarian workers. “There is no active conflict now,” said Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which began working in the country more than two decades ago. “We have more access.” This access will facilitate relief after the deadliest earthquake in two decades, which killed at least 1,000 people and injured more than 1,600 others. “We are in a hurry with supplies for the earthquake and other humanitarian emergencies,” Baloch said. However, although access has improved, other developments since last August have sent humanitarian needs soaring and created unpredictable problems, humanitarian workers say. Most notable is the loss of financial, technical and security assistance from Western governments who desperately wanted to see the country become a democracy after the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. This aid flood more than doubled the country’s annual per capita gross domestic product, from about $ 200 in 2001 to about $ 500 last year, according to the World Bank. But these gains were not evenly distributed – rural areas experienced less change than cities such as the capital, Kabul, and the southern city of Kandahar. The economy has shrunk sharply since the Taliban came to power. Investors and foreign governments retreated and many skilled workers fled, while the United States and other Western countries froze government bank accounts now controlled by the Taliban. As the country struggles with drought and famine, half of Afghanistan’s estimated 40 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations said in January as it asked more than $ 5 billion for the people of Afghanistan. governments are struggling to support a population in need while avoiding helping the Taliban themselves. “Part of Afghanistan’s population is already in a humanitarian crisis, with people buying expired bread that is usually fed to animals,” Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan, said on Wednesday, referring to trends in the country over the past year. . “This adds to the weight” of earthquake response. In addition, aid workers face an institutional challenge that is rarely seen in other countries: Coordinating operations with officials who have long been part of a rebel force but are now trying to move to full government. In a moment of momentum, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, called on those wishing to help “from anywhere in the world” to donate to the country’s Red Crescent arm, which would provide assistance to victims in ” full transparency “.
