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Kabul: “Martin Schoep” the chief director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who traveled to Kabul to visit and prepare a working report on the economic situation in Afghanistan, says that “The economic problems are very serious and people will struggle for their lives.”
He describes the coming winter as “days full of hardship for Afghans”, a winter in which, according to him, Afghans must strive for “survival”.
While the sanctions against the interim government of Taliban have caused the suspension of bank transfers and the seizure of billions of dollars of Afghan assets by the United States, have restricted the access of Afghanistan’s dependent economy to international and monetary institutions, Schoep said that “Prices are spiking due to a whole set of reasons, but also the issue of sanctions has led to massive consequences.”
“We see more and more Afghans who have to sell their belongings to provide their basic needs, where they have to buy materials for heating while at the same time have to face increasing costs for food and other essential items,” He added.
Unlike the British Chargé d’affaires who considers the sanctions to be ineffective in creating the current situation, this senior expert of the Red Cross says “Sanctions are a challenge in getting the necessary aid and supplies to Afghanistan on time.”
He also called for a humanitarian exemption for all sanctions so that organizations like the Red Cross can continue their work in this country.
Earlier, UNICEF expressed concerns over the economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan saying that 24.4 million Afghans are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Although this UN organization has announced that it has so far received nearly 50% of the 2 billion dollars aid it requested for Afghanistan in 2022.
