Afghanistan is quickly deteriorating into a situation of mass starvation. Like most global cases of extreme hunger and famine, the unfolding disaster in Afghanistan is human-made in the sense that political decisions, policies, and conflict are the primary drivers of extreme hunger and starvation there.
And in the case of Afghanistan, U.S. policy is driving the suffering. The U.S. was at war in Afghanistan for 20 years, then abruptly withdrew all U.S. forces in May of 2021, and then imposed crippling economic sanctions on the country, all of which has led to the collapse of the economy and made it difficult to get humanitarian assistance to Afghans who are in desperate need.
As a result, the health care system is unable to respond to the pandemic needs of the population nor the diseases that have come with starvation. Afghan’s don’t have the income necessary to pay for food and other basic necessities. And to make matters worse, an historic drought has negatively impacted food production and food reserves across the country.
The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Office of Public Witness and Ministry at the United Nations are urging people to contact their congressional representatives and ask them to:
- Release the rest of Afghanistan Central Bank reserves to inject liquidity into the collapsing Afghan economy.
- Loosen U.S. sanctions to mitigate the chilling effect of restrictions on foreign banks and businesses, while offering Afghan banks access to their overseas holdings and to the global financial system.
- Pledge additional emergency funding toward the $5 billion United Nations’ 2022 humanitarian aid appeal and dedicate the necessary diplomatic capital to encourage Western partners to contribute their fair share.
- Increase refugee assistance to Afghan refugees including increased resettlement here in the U.S.
Please take action now!
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