Afghanistan: UN needs $ 5 billion to avert disaster

The UN asked Tuesday, January 11, five billion dollars - a record amount - to try to prevent Afghanistan from sinking into one of the most serious humanitarian disasters in its history.

This humanitarian aid plan is only an emergency solution, but "

" for Afghanistan, asserted Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, during a press briefing in Geneva on Monday.

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The UN needs $ 4.4 billion from donor countries to fund humanitarian needs this year, the largest amount ever claimed for a single country, a statement from the organization said. This amount would be spent on expanding the delivery of food and support for agriculture, financing health services, treatment against malnutrition, emergency shelters, access to water and sanitation but also 'education. Some 22 million people, more than half of the country's population, are in urgent need of assistance. The UN has also asked for an additional $ 623 million to help the 5.7 million Afghan refugees, sometimes for many years, in five neighboring countries, mainly Iran and Pakistan.

Filippo Grandi, the High Commissioner for Refugees, warned bluntly: “

”.

In Kabul, the Taliban hailed the UN call. "

" senior Taliban official Suhail Shaheen told AFP. . The United States - whose accelerated withdrawal of military assistance precipitated the arrival of the Taliban to power - announced in the wake of a first donation of 308 million dollars. This money must as a priority help with food, health as well as protection from the harsh winter, said the United States Agency for International Assistance (USAID), in a press release.

No money for the Taliban

Afghanistan has been ruled since mid-August by the Taliban who have regained power, driving out the government supported at arm's length by the international community and American military power after 20 years of guerrilla warfare.

The sanctions regime put in place to try to make concessions to Islamic fundamentalists, on women's rights in particular, has plunged the country - already very dependent on international aid - into a deep economic crisis.

It is further aggravated by the drought.

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To reassure donors, Martin Griffiths stressed that the funds - which represent a quarter of the country's official GDP - will flow directly through some 160 NGOs and UN agencies on the ground. Distribution facilitated by improving the security situation. For this aid to be most effective, "

," USAID insisted. .

The Security Council's decision in December to facilitate humanitarian aid and gestures of goodwill from Washington for a year helped reassure financial actors, paralyzed by fear of violating sanctions and thus depriving the country of essential liquidity. its operation.

Civil servants, teachers and nursing staff have sometimes not been paid for months.

According to the Taliban representative, the arrival of dollars would also help fight inflation in the country.

De facto dialogue

While the international community is still looking for an effective way to put pressure on the Taliban so that they in particular change the way they treat women, very quickly deprived of most of the rights acquired by hard struggle for 20 years, Filippo Grandi has explained that this aid "

". A lever. "

", he added, acknowledging however that it will take time to "

”.

The United States has pledged an initial aid package for Afghanistan of more than $ 300 million for this year.

This money must as a priority help food, health as well as protection from the harsh winter, said the United States Agency for International Assistance (USAID), in a press release.

President Joe Biden is accused of accelerating the Taliban's rise to power by hastening the end of military aid to Kabul.