Elders Warn of Humanitarian Crisis in Nuristan’s Kamdesh and Bargi Matal Districts
Tribal elders and residents of Kamdesh and Bargi Matal districts in Nuristan province have issued a warning that, due to the closure of access routes, food and medicine supplies in these areas have been depleted. Over 100,000 residents face a serious shortage of basic necessities. They state that if the Taliban administration does not take immediate action, they will be forced to seek assistance from Pakistani forces to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
According to locals, the routes to Parun, the provincial capital of Nuristan, have been blocked for about a month due to gunfire from Pakistani forces targeting passing vehicles. A resident of Bargi Matal said that flour is no longer available in markets, forcing people to slaughter their livestock and rely solely on meat. Residents of Kamdesh also report that medicines are finished in clinics and pharmacies, putting seriously ill patients at risk of death.
Young people from these districts who are studying in other provinces have been unable to return home because of the road closures. Tribal elders say they have repeatedly sent representatives to the Taliban governor of Nuristan and to Kabul, requesting the reopening of the routes or the delivery of food supplies. However, they have only received promises and no practical action has been taken.
One tribal elder said that Taliban helicopters have flown to the area, but only delivered equipment to their forces and a limited amount of medicine, which he says is insufficient for the vast needs of the civilian population. Meanwhile, Kamdesh and Bargi Matal districts encompass more than 100 villages with an estimated combined population of about 100,000.
Fereydoun Samim, spokesperson for the Taliban governor of Nuristan, confirmed on March 25 that Pakistani forces have attacked vehicles heading to these districts, leading to the closure of the roads to traffic. He said local officials are working to establish an alternative route for travel.
However, a tribal elder from Nuristan said the alternative route via Ghaziabad is currently covered in snow and reopening it will take two to three months. He stressed that local officials lack sufficient experience in managing emergency situations and technical issues, warning that if the situation continues, a serious humanitarian disaster is likely. He noted that even finding a sack of flour priced between 14,000 and 15,000 Afghanis has become increasingly difficult.
Local sources previously reported that Kamdesh, Bargi Matal, and Nari districts in Kunar province lie along the same path, and Nuristanis typically procure their supplies through the Nari route. However, gunfire from the mountains has blocked vehicle passage. Three sources from Nuristan reported daily gunfire from Pakistani forces on March 22, which has made access to these border districts difficult.
Additionally, Hariradion, a Taliban-affiliated media outlet, reported that the Kunar–Nuristan highway has also been closed due to a landslide. Taliban local officials stated that the Public Works Directorate has started efforts to reopen the road and has urged citizens to refrain from traveling there. Though work has begun on the alternative route from Parun, residents say completing it will take time and that people cannot survive without urgent aid until then.
