Afghanistan: Facing starvation, people forced to sell children, organs, says WFP
Amid the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the UN Head of World Food Program (WFP) yet again expressed concerns over the country's current situation, adding that people are forced to sell their children and parts of their bodies to survive.
WFP chief David Basely has urged the international community to ramp up aid delivery to Afghanistan, citing the fact that more than half of the country's population is starving. Drought, a pandemic, economic collapse and the repercussions of years of conflict are all affecting Afghanistan.
Over 24 million people are suffering from severe food insecurity. This winter, more than half of the population may face famine, and 97 percent of the population may fall below the poverty level.
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"Afghanistan was already one of the poorest countries in the world, with 20 years, at least, of conflict with the Taliban," said Beasley to German public state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) and added "now what we're facing is catastrophic. The number of people that are knocking on starvation's door is 23 million people out of 40 million people."
During an interview with DW, Beasley revealed that a woman he met in Afghanistan was forced to sell her daughter to another family in the hope that they could feed her better.
Although the United States and its allies left Afghanistan in August of last year, some international charities and aid organisations remained to support locals and relieve the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.
Beasley urged the world's elite to assist in resolving the current hunger crisis."The Covid experience has resulted in enormous wealth for the world's billionaires. Every day, net worth grows by almost $5.2 billion [EUR4.67 billion]. To truly handle our short-term difficulties, all we need is one day's worth of their net worth increase," he said.
On January 24, Special Representatives and Special Envoys from the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States met in Oslo to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, including sessions with Taliban and civil society representatives.
In a joint statement, the Western envoys emphasised the urgent need to address Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis, as well as the measures that must be taken to support Afghans across the country.
Participants acknowledged steps taken to improve access for humanitarian workers, both male and female, while also expressing concern that certain impediments remain in place, according to the statement. Participants also highlighted the importance of quickly removing all conditions and obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid, as per the statement.
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-PTC News
