Red Cross warns of deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned of worsening humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan and called for continued global support for the country’s people. The organisation said cuts in international aid, at a time of acute humanitarian need, have increased the pressure on Afghans.

Yasmine Praz Dessimoz, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Agence France-Presse that Afghanistan has slipped out of the world’s attention and that its people should not be abandoned. She described the current situation as concerning and said Afghans are facing vast humanitarian needs and a health system on the verge of collapse in their struggle to survive.

According to her, about one million children in Afghanistan face life-threatening malnutrition, while another 3.7 million suffer from acute malnutrition. The Red Cross official also said reductions in global aid have forced the closure of 100 specialised child malnutrition clinics across Afghanistan.

Alongside this crisis, the Red Cross operations director voiced concern over restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration on women. She said the ban on education beyond primary level and limits on women’s work will make access to medical services more difficult in the future, because without educating a new generation there will be no replacement for female health workers.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Afghanistan remains one of its five largest operations in the world, but funding cuts have forced the organisation to make difficult decisions in order to continue its work alongside the Afghan people. It is currently supporting 46 clinics and seven rehabilitation centres in Afghanistan and providing services to people affected by conflict and by unexploded ordnance.

The Red Cross also said the Durand Line is among its priorities and that it is focusing on communities affected by the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict. The Durand Line is the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, long linked to border tensions and the movement of residents on both sides.