Afghanistan facing famine, warns rights group

By S. K. Khan

ISLAMABAD (AA) – The Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thursday said Afghanistan is facing famine and called on the UN, and international financial institutions to urgently adjust existing sanctions affecting the country’s economy and banking sector.

The rights group cited multiple reports that highlighted the grim state of affairs in the war-ravaged country.

“Afghanistan’s economy and social services are collapsing, with Afghans throughout the country already suffering acute malnutrition,” said John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch.

He urged the governments, the UN, and international financial institutions to urgently adjust existing restrictions as spiking prices, and a shortage of cash have deprived much of the population of access to food, water, shelter, and healthcare.

According to the HRW, Afghanistan’s financial crisis has especially affected women and girls, who face disproportionally greater obstacles to obtaining food, healthcare, and financial resources. It said Afghanistan’s dire economic situation has been exacerbated by decisions of governments and international banking institutions not to deal directly with the Central Bank of Afghanistan because of the UN and bilateral sanctions by the US and other countries.

This has increased liquidity problems for all banks and caused a shortage of currency, said the HRW.

It quoted numerous banking officials and humanitarian agency staffers as saying that most Afghan banks cannot cover withdrawals by private actors and aid organizations. “Even when funds are transmitted electronically into banks, the lack of cash means that money is not physically available and therefore cannot flow into the country’s economy,” it stated.

According to the rights group, the US sanctions policy on the Taliban appears to be out of compliance with new policies that the US Treasury Department promulgated on Oct. 18.

The Human Rights Watch recommended that governments, the UN, the World Bank, and the Taliban should work to reach an agreement to allow the Afghan Central Bank access to the international banking system.

It added that the US Treasury Department and other financial authorities should allow the Afghan Central Bank to engage in limited settlement transactions with outside private banks and settle incoming dollar deposits from legitimate private depositors, such as UNICEF, the UN Development Program, remittance banks, and other legitimate actors.

The UN Security Council members should take immediate steps to ensure that legitimate financial transactions related to humanitarian activities and the provision of other essential goods and services are excluded from the scope of UN sanctions, stressed the rights group.

“Donor generosity and humanitarian pledges can’t overcome the stark reality that UN agencies, humanitarian groups, and the Afghan diaspora cannot send assets to a banking system that is not functioning, and account holders in Afghanistan can’t withdraw cash that isn’t there,” Sifton said. “Widespread death and suffering from hunger are preventable if governments act urgently to address Afghanistan’s economic crisis.”