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UN Refugee Agency notes engagement with IEA has been ‘positive’

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Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations Refugee Agency has said while the humanitarian response in Afghanistan is extremely urgent, engagement between the UN and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on the humanitarian aid front “has been relatively positive”.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Grandi said: “The humanitarian response in Afghanistan is extremely urgent because winter has set in. It’s snowing very heavily in vast parts of Afghanistan, and the needs are growing exponentially.”

Grandi pointed out that while 3.5 million people are displaced within Afghanistan, most were displaced prior to the IEA coming into power.

“They actually were already displaced when the Taliban (IEA) took over in August. They were displaced by years of conflict between the previous government and the Taliban. And it’s–the question is that after the 15th of August, the situation has deteriorated further, in so many different ways–more than half of the population on the brink of famine, a very big percentage, I would say 80 percent of the health system paralyzed and unable to work, huge water problem, compounded by an endemic drought that climate change is making even worse. Seventy percent of the teachers are not being paid,” he said.

He said he and his UN colleagues have been visiting Kabul quite regularly since the takeover of the IEA “and I think this engagement is important. At the moment, it is, you know, very much on the humanitarian side. And on that front, I have to say engagement has been relatively positive, constructive.

“In fact, humanitarian organizations, UN, NGOs, Red Cross, and others, have more access to more areas of Afghanistan now than they have had for years, because that conflict that I spoke about that displaced so many people is actually–isn’t happening right now, has ended with the takeover of the Taliban (IEA). That has opened up many areas that were previously very insecure,” he said.

“It’s interesting. There is a figure that is very seldom quoted. We estimate that 170,000 displaced people, especially among the most recently displaced have actually returned to their homes since August. Now this may sound counter intuitive, but it is because many areas are more secure now than they have been in a long time. And this, we need to take advantage of this,” he said.

He also said the IEA is facilitating the humanitarian work being done by the UN and its partners and aid agencies, adding that “the pattern usually has been one of cooperation”.

“But of course, the challenges remain very big.” He said there were issues that the UN did not agree with but noted that “there is a space for dialogue”.

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Needy families in Nangarhar receive Ramadan aid from Bayat Foundation

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On the occasion of Ramadan, Bayat Foundation delivered food aid to dozens of needy families in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar this week.

The organization’s officials said that the aid packages include flour, rice, and cooking oil, which was distributed to the needy after a transparent assessment.

“Bayat Foundation helps thousands of families across Afghanistan every year. Fortunately, today this Ramadan aid was distributed to hundreds of families in Jalalabad. This aid includes flour, rice, and cooking oil,” Attaullah Sahil, a representative of Bayat Foundation in Nangarhar, said.

Appreciating Bayat Foundation’s assistance, officials of the Nangarhar Department of Economy called on other charities to help the needy during the holy month of Ramadan.

“These families are very deserving families who were selected after conducting a survey in the presence of representatives of the Department of Economy and Bayat Foundation. All families are deserving, and they include widows, the disabled and the poor,” Mohammad Asif Rahmani, a representative of the Nangarhar Department of Economy, said.

Recipients welcomed the Ramadan aid from Bayat Foundation, saying that those in need require more help.

Haider, an aid recipient, said: “We are very poor people. There are no job opportunities. Thank you very much to Bayat Foundation for helping us.”

Mohammad Zaman, another aid recipient, said: “During this Ramadan, I was facing difficulties. I could not find sustenance. Bayat Foundation helped us. May God help it.”

Bayat Foundation has helped the needy not only during the holy month of Ramadan, but also during natural disasters, and has continued to cooperate with government institutions in various sectors, especially health and education.

 

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IEA controls power in Afghanistan, security prevails: Araqchi

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Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, has said that the Islamic Emirate controls power in Afghanistan and security prevails across the country.

Speaking in an interview with Khabar Online, Araqchi said that before the Islamic Emirate took over, different parts of Afghanistan would be governed by different groups.

“The reality is that now there is a power in Afghanistan that has consolidated its rule over the past three and a half years, and unlike in the past, when every corner of Afghanistan was in the hands of different people, this is not the case now. Security and rule prevail. We must address the issues and resolve them for our national interests,” Araqchi said.

The Islamic Emirate welcomed the remarks saying that it indicates an understanding of the realities in Afghanistan.

“This actually means a correct understanding of the realities in Afghanistan. It is a fact that there is a single political governance in Afghanistan that has complete control over Afghanistan,” Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, said.

Araqchi also added in his interview that there are issues in Afghanistan that are related to Iran’s national interests, so he traveled to Kabul to discuss them with the officials of the Islamic Emirate.

He mentioned water rights, presence of Afghan refugees in Iran and Daesh as issues that need to be discussed between the officials of the two countries.

The Iranian diplomat said that Tehran, like other countries, has not recognized the Islamic Emirate, but despite sanctions, trade is taking place between the two countries in high volumes.

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdulsalam Hanafi, said in a meeting with the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to Iran recently that Afghanistan and Iran have long-standing religious, historical, cultural and economic relations, and the embassy officials should make every effort to strengthen them.

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Uzbekistan sends essential food aid to Afghanistan

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Marking the new solar year, 1404, and the holy month of Ramadan, Uzbekistan this week delivered almost 200 tons of food aid to Afghanistan via Balkh province.

This is in line with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s directive that humanitarian aid be sent to Afghanistan, Kun.uz reported.

The essential food items were handed over in Hairatan border town in a ceremony attended by Uzbekistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ismatulla Irgashev; Surkhandarya governor Ulugbek Kosimov; representatives from relevant ministries; Balkh provincial governor Muhammad Yusuf Vafo; and other officials from both countries.

The aid package consists of flour, wheat, pasta, vegetable oil, sugar, instant meals, red beans, and mung beans.

Additionally, a bilateral meeting was held in Mazar-e-Sharif, where discussions focused on advancing future cooperation. During the talks, special attention was given to the construction of the Imam Bukhari Mausoleum in Afghanistan, a project supported by Uzbekistan.

Afghan officials expressed gratitude to the president and people of Uzbekistan for their assistance, Akipress reported.

At the end of December, Uzbekistan sent humanitarian aid containing food and medicine to Afghanistan, as well as a “health train”.

Uzbek doctors conducted free medical examinations of the population in Balkh province between December 25 and December 30.

 

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