Afghan Taliban Policies Take Heavy Toll on Public: 18 Aid Programmes Suspended in July, OCHA Report

Violence and Arrests of Aid Workers: UN Sounds Alarm Over Growing Risks in Afghanistan

Kabul — The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian aid system in Afghanistan has been effectively crippled by the policies, restrictions and continued interference of the Afghan Taliban, with ordinary citizens bearing the consequences.

According to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), interference by the Taliban administration led to the suspension of 18 humanitarian programmes across Afghanistan in July alone. The report revealed that obstacles placed in the implementation of aid programmes and delays in approval processes have severely disrupted the delivery of assistance to people in need.

According to the report, restrictions imposed on women have also become a serious obstacle to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, with 11 related incidents reported last month.

Aid workers operating in Afghanistan and their assets have also faced growing security concerns. According to the United Nations, 12 incidents of violence against aid workers and humanitarian assets were recorded in July, while 12 aid personnel were detained during the same month.

Meanwhile, experts say that unnecessary interference by the Taliban in humanitarian activities and restrictions on female aid workers are further worsening Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis. According to the experts, the Taliban’s rigid approach demonstrates that instead of alleviating public suffering, the current administration itself has become a major source of the problems facing the Afghan people.