A former member of the Afghan Central Bank’s supreme council, Shah Mehrabi, said on Sunday that since mid-December 2022, United Nations flights have stopped transferring cash aid to Afghanistan as part of humanitarian assistance.
In a statement, the Da Afghanistan Bank denied the suspension of humanitarian aid packages to Afghanistan.
Mehrabi said that the suspension of cash aid will affect the stability of the Afghan currency.
“The suspension of humanitarian aid coupled with a halt of bank transfer in freezing of $7 billion of Afghanistan reserves will cause an increase in prices and pause in payment of education sector and health worker,” Mehrabi said. “As a result of higher prices, many women, orphans, and other ordinary Afghans will not be able to afford bread, flour and cooking oil and pay for other basic needs.”
“This will further exacerbate poverty and add to the suffering of ordinary Afghans,” Mehrabi added.
Mehrabi referred to the UN figures, saying that more than 70 percent of the Afghan population needs humanitarian assistance and many are close to starvation.
“It is important to point out that it poses a question about the purpose of suspending humanitarian aid, and who will benefit and suffer from it. I urge the continuation of humanitarian aid,” Mehrabi said.
Analysts said that the aid was suspended in reaction to the Islamic Emirate’s decision to ban women from working in NGOs.
“(They) should either bring changes in their decision or a humanitarian catastrophe will happen,” said Sayed Jawad Sijadi, an international relations analyst.
“If the aid is suspended, the people of Afghanistan will suffer the most from it,” said Mehdi Afzali, an international relations analyst.
This comes as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report that more than $3 billion is needed for Afghanistan’s humanitarian response.