Dozens die in cold wave in Afghanistan, which sees humanitarian crisis worsen

The intense cold observed in parts of Asia has aggravated the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan since the Taliban fundamentalist group’s return to power. In the last fortnight alone, at least 124 people have died due to the temperatures.

The situation has the potential to exacerbate the economic crisis and hunger as well. According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Disaster Management of the State to the BBC network this Tuesday (24), 70,000 head of cattle were lost amid the sudden drop in temperatures.

Winter is the coldest in the Central Asian country in at least 15 years, with temperatures of -34°C. To the Afghan agency Tolo News, Taliban regime officials said that poverty and unemployment were the main causes of the number of victims during the coldest season of the year, and residents report that it is more difficult to find work in this period.

But another factor, this one a direct consequence of orders from the fundamentalist group, makes the situation worse. Social organizations formerly based in Afghan territory and an important source of care and supplies to the population have now fled the country.

The movement comes after a Taliban decree last December prohibiting women from working in NGOs in the country. The group claims they are breaking Islamic dress code. Before that, the regime had already banned women from attending universities.

Mohammad Abbas Akhund, minister of Disaster Management, told the BBC that many areas were completely isolated by snow, and that military helicopters were sent to rescue the population, but could not manage a few in more mountainous regions.

“Most of those who lost their lives because of the cold weather were pastoralists and residents of rural areas, they had no access to health care,” he said. According to data from the United Nations, at least 25 million Afghans depend on humanitarian aid to survive — the country currently has around 40 million inhabitants.

The UN has been trying to negotiate with regime officials to grant concessions to women to work in NGOs. According to Martin Griffiths, Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, said to Reuters agency, authorizations of this type have already been given to health and education organizations.

The objective of the United Nations, however, is to mediate a way out that also allows women to work in NGOs that work with issues such as nutrition and sanitation, to help prevent serious illnesses and malnutrition among the Afghan population.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that the restrictions were hampering efforts to deliver aid. “Humanitarian partners are providing support to families, such as heaters, money for fuel and warm clothing, but distributions have been severely affected by the ban on female aid workers in NGOs.”

At the beginning of winter, health professionals reported a sharp increase in the number of children with severe cases of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, in part due to the worsening poverty that affected the possibilities of heating inside the houses.