The current situation in Afghanistan, a country plunged into an economic crisis, “threatens to increase the risk of extremism,” said Deborah Lyons, the UN special envoy for the Asian country, addressing the Security Council on Wednesday. appointed by the ousted government, succeeded fiercely against the Taliban.
“The continuing deterioration of the formal economy will give impetus to the informal economy,” especially “drug trafficking, arms flows, human trafficking,” Ms. Lyons explained.
“The current paralysis of the banking sector will lead (…) to informal, uncontrolled money transfers, which could help facilitate terrorism and drug trafficking,” he insisted. “These pathologies will first affect Afghanistan, but then they will affect the region as well,” he warned.
The Taliban government, which took power in Afghanistan again on August 15, does not seem to be able to prevent the expansion of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist organization to date, the UN envoy continued.
“Once limited to a few provinces and in Kabul, the Islamic State organization now seems to be present in almost all provinces and increasingly active. The number of attacks [του ΙΚ] “It has increased significantly this year compared to last year,” he explained.
At the humanitarian level, a catastrophe is imminent that could be prevented, Deborah Lyons reminded, stressing that 23 million people are at risk of food insecurity during the winter.
In a letter to Congress on Wednesday, the Taliban called on the United States to release nearly $ 9.5 billion worth of funds from the Afghan central bank, which froze in August. The West, for its part, is demanding that Kabul make tangible gestures, forming an inclusive government and protecting the human rights, especially of women and girls, before easing sanctions.
“The economic sanctions imposed on Afghanistan are paralyzing the banking system, affecting the economy in all its forms,” ​​she said, calling on the international community to “urgently seek” funding for health care and food programs. the teaching staff that will guarantee the education of the girls.
“Apartheid between the sexes”
In this matter, “61 days have passed since the Taliban imposed restrictions on the education of girls attending secondary schools,” said Ireland’s ambassador to the United Nations, Geraldine Byrne Neeson.
Every passing day is marked by this “unacceptable loss for the future of Afghanistan. A generation of girls are deprived of education because of the fear and distrust of some men. “Every child has the right to education, regardless of gender,” he insisted.
At the end of the meeting, the Afghan ambassador to the UN, Gulam Isakzai, appointed by the ousted government, still in office as the new Taliban regime has no international recognition, succeeded against the Islamist movement.
“The Taliban have not kept their promises and commitments to the Afghans and the international community to mitigate the impact of the current crisis and reduce the ‘suffering of the Afghan people,'” he said.
“They continue to defy international calls for respect for the human rights of Afghans, for the formation of an inclusive government, for the severance of ties with international terrorist organizations,” the diplomat continued.
Moreover, “they continue to practice apartheid between the sexes, preventing women from working and girls from going to public schools. “This can not continue,” he said, adding that the Taliban had suppressed peaceful protests and “killings for revenge” despite “the so-called amnesty.”
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