Afghanistan humanitarian crisis may deteriorate further as Taliban face cash squeeze: EU

As the humanitarian situation has turned fragile in Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover last month, the situation is expected to deteriorate further since the Taliban have no access to funds provided to the country by the International community, the Russian News Agency Sputnik reported on Wednesday. Speaking at the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee meeting on Afghanistan, Gunnar Wiegand said that due to lack of access to funds the situation may turn into a catastrophe in the war-torn country.

"The Taliban have no access to financial means... The funds by the international community covered 77% of the budget of the Afghan government. Since these have been frozen, the Taliban have no access to civilian budget and the military budget," Wiegand said, who is also the European External Action Service (EEAS) managing director for Asia and the Pacific. 

International community needs to come together

Wiegand also stated that the situation needs to be tackled soon as this is going to hit the population hard in Afghanistan, besides it will also influence the Taliban's ability to run the country. He said that the International community needs to come together to find a solution in order to address the humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged country, ANI reported, quoting the Russian News Agency.

Earlier on Tuesday, August 31, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also warned of deepening humanitarian and economic crisis and the last US troops left the country. Further speaking of the grim situation in the country, Herve Ludovic De Lys, the UNICEF Afghanistan Representative, stated that nearly 10 million children in the country are deprived of their rights and are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, reported ANI. 

IMF freezes Afghanistan's access to the emergency reserve

It should be mentioned here that last month the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had announced to freeze Afghanistan's access to the emergency reserve worth USD 460 million as the country's future hangs in balance following the Taliban's control. The decision was reportedly taken after the pressure by the Biden administration to make sure that the reserves did not reach the Taliban. However, As per reports, the Taliban is leaving no stone unturned to crack deals with former Afghan officials in order to gain international recognition and get back access to billions of dollars in international reserves. 

Image Credits: AP/Representative Image