Save the Children warns humanitarian crisis looming in Kabul

An estimated 72,000 children have been displaced and have fled to Kabul due to ongoing clashes across Afghanistan, said Save the Children Saturday.

The organization also warned of possible outbreaks of diseases as families camping out in open spaces have no toilet facilities.

The organization stated that these children and their family members need immediate humanitarian aid.

This comes as tens of thousands of people have fled to Kabul as the Taliban advanced across the country, capturing around 20 provincial capitals.

In the latest development, the militants seized control of Paktia’s Gardez city, Paktika’s Sharana city, and southern Kandahar city in the last 24 hours.

Save the Children said in a statement that many of the children are living on the streets, in tarpaulin tents, and are going hungry.

According to the organization, more than 324 families that have arrived in Kabul in the last few days had little or no access to food or other forms of support.

“Many families have taken desperate measures to survive, such as selling their belongings to get money for food, sending their children to work, or cutting back severely on food.

All of the families said they have run up debt to get to safety,” the statement read.

“This is a humanitarian disaster unfolding in front of the world’s eyes,” said Christopher Nyamandi, country director for Save the Children in Afghanistan.

“Families already living in Kabul have brought the food they could spare to help the displaced, but there’s just not enough. And more families are arriving every hour. We will start to see children going hungry or even sliding into malnutrition very soon,” Nyamandi added.

He stated: “People are drinking water from dirty containers, the circumstances are unhygienic. We’re one step away from a disease outbreak.”

“The people of Afghanistan not only need the world’s attention, they need the world’s help to get through this. These are families with children, old people. Our staff came across at least 13 pregnant women. We can’t turn our back on them. We need tents, food, clean water, sanitation. Immediately,” Nyamandi noted.

“The only real solution is an end to the fighting, and the warring parties coming to an agreement. But until that time, we need to support the children and their families who have been caught up in this terrible conflict,” he said.