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EU, US condemn IEA’s decision barring females from working in NGOs

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has ordered all national and international NGOs to stop their female employees from working, citing "serious complaints" about their dress code.

The order, issued by the Ministry of Economy, threatened to suspend the operating licences of NGOs that failed to implement the directive.

"There have been serious complaints regarding the non-observance of the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations pertaining to the work of females in national and international organisations," said a statement sent to all NGOs.

"The ministry of economy... instructs all organisations to stop females from working until further notice," the statement said.

"In case of ignoring the directive, the license of the organisation which has been issued by this ministry, will be cancelled," it added.

The latest restriction comes less than a week after the IEA authorities suspended university education for women, prompting global outrage and protests.

The EU strongly condemned the IEA's ban on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan and said it was assessing the impact on its aid to the country.

"We are assessing the situation and the impact it will have on our aid on the ground," an EU spokesperson told AFP in a statement.

The EU is a major supporter of aid organisations that work in Afghanistan. However it does not recognize IEA as the country's official government.

EU foreign policy chief's spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said: "Our foremost concern will continue to be the welfare, rights, and freedoms of the people of Afghanistan."

She said the ban on women working for NGOs "is another harsh restriction on the ability of women in Afghanistan to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms and a clear breach of humanitarian principles".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also warned that an IEA order for women to be barred from working for NGOs would disrupt aid delivery and could be "devastating" for Afghanistan.

"Deeply concerned that the Taliban's (IEA) ban on women delivering humanitarian aid in Afghanistan will disrupt vital and life-saving assistance to millions," Blinken tweeted.

"This decision could be devastating for the Afghan people."

Dozens of national and international NGOs continue to work in several sectors across remote areas of Afghanistan, and many of their employees are women.

It was not immediately clear whether the order applied to United Nations agencies, which have a large presence in Afghanistan and often deal with NGOs registered there to carry out their humanitarian work.

Economy Ministry's spokesperson, Abdulrahman Habib, said the letter, banning women's work, applied to organisations under Afghanistan's coordinating body for humanitarian organisations, known as ACBAR. That body does not include the UN, but includes over 180 local and international NGOs.

Top officials from the United Nations and dozens of NGOs operating in Afghanistan are meeting in Kabul Sunday to discuss the way ahead after the IEA authorities ordered all NGOs to stop women employees from working, aid officials said.

"A meeting of Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is scheduled later today to consult and discuss how to tackle this issue," Tapiwa Gomo, public information officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.

The HCT comprises top UN officials and representatives of dozens of Afghan and international NGOs who coordinate distribution of aid across the country.

The meeting will discuss whether to suspend all aid work following the latest IEA directive, some NGO officials said.

The United Nations, which said it would seek an explanation from the IEA about the order, condemned the ministry's directive.

The ban comes at a time when millions across the country depend on humanitarian aid provided by international donors through a vast network of NGOs.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, at an event in Kabul under the title of “Waiver of Tax Penalties, Supporting Industry and Trade”, said that IEA considers itself responsible towards the people of the country.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is responsible towards the people including businessmen and industrialists, so it is necessary to provide them with facilities in every area and protect their property and dignity,” Baradar said.

Speaking in the event, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that the government is responsible for the health, economy, education and other legal rights of the citizens.

“When we call ourselves rulers, then we are also responsible for the health, economy, education and other rights of the people. We made a lot of efforts to establish the Islamic system. Many problems have been solved and many more problems remain for which we must soon find solutions,” Muttaqi said.

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Russian law paves way to recognise Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

No country currently recognises the IEA government which regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

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Russia's parliament passed a law on Tuesday that would allow courts to suspend bans on groups designated by Moscow as terrorist organisations - paving the way for it to normalise ties with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan annd potentially with the new leadership of Syria.

No country currently recognises the IEA government which regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

But Russia has been gradually building ties with the Islamic Emirate, which President Vladimir Putin said in July was now an ally in fighting terrorism.

In addition, the leader of Russia's Muslim region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, called on Monday for the removal of Syrian group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from Moscow's list of banned groups.

HTS spearheaded the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Kadyrov, a close Putin ally, said Russia needed ties to the new Syrian authorities to ensure stability and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Kremlin said this week that Russia was in contact with the new leadership in Syria, where it hopes to retain the use of an airfield and a naval base that give it an important military foothold in the Mediterranean.

Security threat

Moscow sees a major security threat from Islamist militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East, where Russia lost a major ally with the fall of Assad, Reuters reported.

In March, gunmen killed 145 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

U.S. officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), that was responsible.

However, the IEA has repeatedly said it is working to wipe out the presence of ISIS-K in Afghanistan.

Russia’s history in Afghanistan

Russia has a complex and bloodstained history in Afghanistan.

Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979 to prop up a Communist government, but became bogged down in a long war against mujahideen fighters armed by the United States.

Soviet leader at the time, Mikhail Gorbachev, pulled his army out in 1989, by which time some 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed.

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Kunduz families get much needed food aid, thanks to Bayat Foundation

The Bayat Foundation is a stalwart in terms of assisting needy people, not only through its winter food aid campaign but also in times of disaster.

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As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting needy families in winter in Afghanistan, the Bayat Foundation has once again provided essential food aid to hundreds of needy families in Kunduz province.

The Bayat Foundation’s representative in the northeastern zone, Khair Mohammad Saljoqi, explained that the relief packages included flour, rice, and oil, which were distributed to the needy after a thorough survey.

He stated: “The Bayat Charity Foundation continues its annual winter aid distribution [program]. This year, we have prepared winter relief packages for the needy in Kunduz, and today we are witnessing the distribution.”

Meanwhile, recipients have expressed their gratitude for the timely delivery of the relief packages and have called for further assistance from other humanitarian organizations for impoverished families.

One of the aid recipients, expressed his appreciation, saying: "We are very grateful to the Bayat Foundation."

Another recipient said: “We are very happy that the Bayat Foundation has helped the poor people. May God give strength to the Bayat Foundation to continue helping needy families, as it is winter, the weather is cold, and there is no work.”

Additionally, several women, who are the sole breadwinners for their families, shared that they have no food or warm clothing to get them through winter and are in desperate need of such assistance.

They also thanked the Bayat Foundation for their assistance.

Rukhshana, one of the recipients, said: “Please help us. We don’t have a breadwinner at home. I have small children. Traders should help us. We have no firewood, no coal. We thank the Bayat Foundation for helping us.”

The Bayat Foundation is a stalwart in terms of assisting needy people, not only through its winter food aid campaign but also in times of disaster.

Foundation officials have meanwhile stressed that given the growing poverty and worsening hardships people are facing in the country, their winter aid program will continue to be rolled out to other provinces.

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India hoping to import coal and marble from Afghanistan

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A high-ranking delegation from India's Gujarat Chamber of Commerce has expressed interest in importing coal and marble from Afghanistan and investing in Afghanistan's coal mining sector.

The officials expressed interest at a meeting with Ikramuddin Kamil, acting head of the Afghan consulate in Mumbai, India.

Kamil assured them that he would facilitate an online meeting at a technical level with the relevant Afghan institutions in this regard.

He said security is ensured in Afghanistan, corruption does not exist and there are investment opportunities for Indian businessmen.

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