Kabul, (EFE).- The taliban They asked countries and international organizations this Saturday to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, after numerous NGOs suspended their programs when fundamentalists prohibited Afghans from working for them, while the cold wave that has hit the country for two weeks has already left 166 dead.
“To prevent further deaths from cold temperatures, we call on donor countries, UN offices and aid organizations to continue their humanitarian work,” the interim government’s Ministry of Disaster Management said in a statement. the taliban.
The fundamentalists, who took control of the country in August 2021, reiterated their call for “non-political” humanitarian aid.
According to the Ministry, the low temperatures, with minimums of up to twenty degrees below zero, and sudden floods have caused the death of 166 people since January 10.
“According to data from the Ministry of Disaster Management, since January 10 in 24 provinces, 166 people have died, another 22 have been injured, and more than 100 homes have been completely or partially destroyed,” the ministry said.
Afghan authorities also reported the death of more than 80,000 cattle.
Afghanistan was already mired in a deep humanitarian and economic crisis before the Taliban came to power, but international isolation and the blockade of foreign aid funds after the fall of the previous government have exacerbated the precarious situation of millions of afghans.
The humanitarian crisis has been compounded by a particularly cold winter, in a country that regularly registers deaths due to low temperatures due to the scarcity of infrastructure and basic services, as well as the reduced quality of housing, often simple tents in the case of the most disadvantaged.
The recent and criticized decision of fundamentalists to prohibit women from working in national and international NGOs, however, has caused numerous organizations to suspend their activities in the Asian country.
Much of Afghan territory is crisscrossed by the massive Hindu Kush mountain range and experiences extreme temperatures during winter.
