Afghanistan: Geneva Call urges donors to push money to Kabul to prevent major catastrophe

Amid escalating humanitarian and economic crises in Afghanistan, Geneva Call, an independent humanitarian organisation, on Saturday, February 19, expressed its concern over the current situation and urged the international community to provide funds as much as possible.

While speaking to local media outlet, Tolo News, head of the organisation (Geneva Call), General Alain Deletroz, warned that if funds do not reach Kabul soon, poverty and misery will increase in Afghanistan. According to Deletroz, humanitarian aid alone will not prevent the crisis in the already war-ridden country. He said that the country's economy needed to become healthier in order to avoid a catastrophic situation.

"As a humanitarian organisation we avoid commenting on political issues, but what we keep saying and telling our donors if there is no money coming to Afghanistan at all, the humanitarian situation will be increasing," said Deletroz.

It is worth mentioning that the condition of Afghanistan deteriorated after the Taliban ousted the country's democratically elected government in August last year and took over the country. Since then, the country has been dependent mainly on humanitarian aid. Despite knowing the country has been facing financial issues, US President Joe Biden decided to distribute Afghan assets to the families of 9/11 victims. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration ordered the distribution of $7 billion of Afghan assets which are in US banks to the victims. 

"The Biden administration's decision to effectively seize the Afghan central bank's foreign reserves is likely to deepen Afghanistan's already devastating economic crisis, according to Afghan bankers and economists and international aid workers," the Wall Street Journal report reads.

Ex-Afghan president Hamid Karzai urges US to release frozen Afghan funds

While addressing a press conference in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, ex-President Hamid Karzai attacked Biden for allocating funds to the victims of 9/11 and reiterated that the US administration should return the frozen properties of the Afghan people. "Saudi Arabian terrorist and founder of the Pan-Islamic militant organisation Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Ladin, was killed in Pakistan and that the people of Afghanistan should not pay for his activities," Karzai said.

Earlier last month, the United Kingdom announced an additional amount of 97 million pounds (over Rs 976 crore) to the war-torn country. In December last year, the European Union (EU) launched several projects worth €268.3 million (Rs 22,67,56,03,738) for the Afghan population. According to a report by The European Sting, the projects will help the country in maintaining education, sustaining livelihoods, and protecting public health, including for refugees, migrants and internally displaced people.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)